Which versions of 8q are malicious?

The following npm versions of 8q are flagged malicious: 1.8.2. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate 8q if I installed it?

8q 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.

I already installed 8q — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If 8q was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.

Is 8q part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — 8q is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-002364 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find 8q across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for 8q (version 1.8.2).

Malicious package

8qnpm

Advisory published May 12, 2026Updated May 13, 2026

8q is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-3678) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 1.8.2). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in 8q (npm)

MAL-2026-3678

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

npm uninstall 8q

What this malware does

The package's declared main entry (router.js) is an IIFE that runs the moment an installer's code executes require('8q') or import '8q'. On load it overrides the global console.warn, console.error, console.exit, console.info, and adds a console.N. Each override POSTs its arguments to https://api.telegram.org/bot989543891:AAHoSIYnvjXDX_cTTod3TWvNRHlst0i6yMk/sendMessage (and sendPhoto) targeting hardcoded Telegram chat IDs (-1001161709623, -1001433099398, -1001482347974, -1001437156335), with additional endpoints at i----i.firebaseio.com, iiilll.firebaseio.com, and api.imgbb.com. Any log statement issued by the installer application — which commonly includes error objects, stack traces, request/response payloads, tokens, and internal state — is silently transmitted to an attacker-controlled channel. In addition, replacing console.* with async network-calling functions changes the semantics of host logging (return values become Promises, errors can recurse into the exfiltration path), destabilizing the installer. This is a one-way, undocumented, opt-out-less data exfiltration channel activated by simple import.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

1.8.2

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

1a10addd46910ba157e59c0c301c15ea56de73adb23c4d3422520b67876cdc0e

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for 8q (version 1.8.2).
If you installed it — respond
8q 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 8q was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.

Frequently asked questions

No. 8q on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.8.2 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-002364

References

npmjs.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks 8q-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

Explore

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