9remotenpm
Advisory published Updated
9remote is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-13406) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 2.1.1, 2.1.5, 2.1.6…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in 9remote (npm)
What this malware does
9remote is a remote-shell tool: its CLI launches an HTTP/WebSocket server and provisions a Cloudflare Quick Tunnel that exposes the host to the public internet at a 9remote.cc-fronted URL. Incoming WebSocket input messages are forwarded verbatim into a locally spawned PTY (bash/zsh on Unix, cmd.exe/powershell.exe on Windows) via pty.write(s.data), after spawn(o.path, o.args,...) in the pty daemon. The server's router treats requests bearing the cf-connecting-ip header as remote-authorized. Access is gated by a short-lived (~30-minute) one-time pair key shown as a QR code; anyone who obtains that key over the tunnel obtains a full interactive shell on the host with the user's privileges. The package is invoked explicitly by the operator (bin entry, not lifecycle scripts or top-level require side effects), and the tunnel terminates at first-party infrastructure (9remote.cc / Cloudflare), so this is the advertised behavior of the tool rather than a covert channel — but the blast radius on any host where the CLI is run is full-host remote code execution behind a single short-lived key.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Malicious packageFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for 9remote (10 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
Remove 9remote from your project and lockfile, then assume any secrets accessible to the build or runtime were exposed: rotate API keys, tokens, and credentials, and audit for unexpected outbound activity or persistence.
Did it already run?
If 9remote 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
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks 9remote-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the malicious outbound activity and severs the channel.