88qnpm
Malicious code in 88q (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
What this malware does
The main entrypoint index.js runs an IIFE at require time that monkey-patches the global console.warn and console.error methods. After the override, every subsequent console.warn/console.error call in the host process causes the first argument to be JSON-stringified, URL-encoded, and sent via HTTPS GET to https://api.telegram.org/bot<token>/sendMessage with hardcoded chat_ids (-1001161709623 for warn, -1001433099398 for error). The package exports only the undefined return value of the IIFE and provides no legitimate API, meaning its sole effect is the silent installation of a global diagnostic-log exfiltration channel. Any installer whose code runs console.warn/console.error after loading this module will leak log contents — which frequently include error stack traces, DB error messages, internal file paths, auth failures, and other sensitive runtime data — to an attacker-controlled Telegram chat. Additional unreachable files (t.js, o.js, jq.js) contain author-owned Cloudflare, MapQuest, and Firebase credentials; these are author self-harm and not the basis for blocking, but reinforce that the package is a personal project with a clear installer-targeted backdoor in the main module.
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 88q (18 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging 88q across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
88q 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 88q 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 88q 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
Detect & block this
O3 blocks 88q-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.