aes-decode-runner-pronpm
aes-decode-runner-pro is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-4475) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in aes-decode-runner-pro (npm)
What this malware does
aes-decode-runner-pro ships an opaque 326-byte AES-GCM ciphertext (DEFAULT_FINAL_ENCODED_TEXT in src/config/defaults.js) along with a hardcoded passphrase (default-dev-passphrase) and salt (encode-npm-c-salt). The exported run() function (and runDefaultDecodedFunction() in src/pipeline/custom-codec-pipeline.js) decrypts this blob and executes the resulting string via new Function("require", runnable)(require), passing in the host's require so the decrypted code can load arbitrary Node modules (filesystem, network, child_process). The plaintext is not present in the source tree, so the actual code being run cannot be audited from the package contents. The README presents the package as an AES helper utility, but the package's primary documented entry point (pkg.run()) auto-executes hidden author-controlled code. There are no install lifecycle hooks, so npm install alone is benign; harm fires when a consumer calls the advertised run() API or runs npm start/npm test against the package. The combination of hardcoded ciphertext + hardcoded key + new Function execution sink + misleading cover-story README is the standard hidden-payload-runner shape and not a legitimate use of AES.
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
Malicious packageFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for aes-decode-runner-pro (10 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging aes-decode-runner-pro across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
Remove aes-decode-runner-pro 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 aes-decode-runner-pro 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 aes-decode-runner-pro 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 aes-decode-runner-pro-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.