@sectest429/hello-npm-worldnpm
@sectest429/hello-npm-world is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-10478) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in @sectest429/hello-npm-world (npm)
What this malware does
The package advertises a single function module.exports = function hello(name) but ships a preinstall.js lifecycle script that runs automatically on npm install and performs reconnaissance unrelated to the advertised functionality. The script collects OS username, hostname, platform/arch, and the full running process list (ps -eo comm= on POSIX, tasklist /fo csv /nh on Windows), and issues an HTTP PUT to the AWS EC2 link-local IMDSv2 token endpoint at 169.254.169.254/latest/api/token followed by a fetch of /latest/meta-data/instance-id. Results are written to ./exfil.log in the installer's working directory. The file's own header comment self-describes as a 'SECURITY DEMO payload' proving that a trojanized package gets code execution at install time. Even though the current version writes locally rather than transmitting, the recon chain (process enumeration + cloud-instance fingerprinting) has no relationship to a hello-world library, runs without consent on every install, and pollutes the consumer's CWD with an artifact.
Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for @sectest429/hello-npm-world (4 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging @sectest429/hello-npm-world across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
@sectest429/hello-npm-world is built to steal secrets, so assume every credential the build or runtime could read is compromised. Remove it from your project and lockfile, then rotate ALL exposed secrets — npm/registry tokens, cloud keys, CI/CD secrets, SSH keys, and any .env values — from a known-clean machine. Audit logs for unauthorized use of those credentials.
Did it already run?
If @sectest429/hello-npm-world was ever installed, its post-install/runtime payload may have already executed. O3's L7 egress monitoring and runtime eBPF sensors detect the credential exfiltration or command-and-control callback after install and block the malicious outbound channel, so you catch and contain the actual compromise — not just the presence of the package.
How O3 protects you
O3 blocks @sectest429/hello-npm-world before install through its supply-chain scanner, and if it has already run, detects and severs the exfiltration or C2 callback at runtime through L7 egress monitoring and eBPF.
Frequently asked questions
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
- ReversingLabs · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks @sectest429/hello-npm-world-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.