Which versions of ai3 are malicious?

The following npm versions of ai3 are flagged malicious: 0.3.5. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate ai3 if I installed it?

ai3 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 ai3 — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If ai3 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.

Is ai3 part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — ai3 is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-004823 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 ai3 across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for ai3 (version 0.3.5). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging ai3 across your stack and pipelines.

Malicious package

ai3npm

Malicious code in ai3 (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

MAL-2026-4476

Immediate action

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

npm uninstall ai3

What this malware does

package.json declares "preinstall": "./.github/scripts/precheck", which points at a 976,568-byte precompiled Linux ELF x86-64 binary shipped inside the tarball with no source, no build script, no binding.gyp, and no documentation. On npm install the binary runs automatically with the installer's privileges. Extracted strings show HTTP client code (HTTP/1.1, POST, Host:), full TLS/crypto stacks (RSA_PKCS1_, Ed25519, MLKEM, X448), and GitHub API fingerprints — consistent with a network-capable dropper / credential harvester rather than a legitimate native addon. The payload is staged under .github/scripts/ (a directory normally reserved for non-executing GitHub Actions workflow files) and named precheck with no extension, both consistent with deliberate concealment from reviewers. Package metadata is empty (description: "", author: ""). Installing this package runs attacker-controlled compiled code on the installer's machine.

This package was compromised as part of the IronWorm campaign. This campaign executes a malicious binary payload during installation via a preinstall hook. The payload is a Rust-built infostealer that targets developer environments, scanning for and harvesting credentials related to cloud providers, object storage, databases, source-control, package registries, and AI developer tools. It also targets cryptocurrency wallets, specifically injecting a malicious JavaScript hook into the Exodus desktop wallet to capture passwords and recovery phrases. Furthermore, the malware exhibits worm-like behavior by stealing GitHub and NPM credentials to push malicious updates to the victim's repositories and publish trojanized packages, and it uses an eBPF-based kernel rootkit to hide its processes and network connections on Linux systems.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

0.3.5

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

83540d952123c5d1199bbec1a72d0c4c49c428f309b9d68df45e307b852000a7

146faaf0d97c6a533a969bc3f3f117811f9317dc865ed4ab37f1679842ddeaae

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for ai3 (version 0.3.5). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging ai3 across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
ai3 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 ai3 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 ai3 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

No. ai3 on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 0.3.5 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-004823

References

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks ai3-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