Which versions of application-util are malicious?

The following npm versions of application-util are flagged malicious: 2.1.6. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate application-util if I installed it?

application-util 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 application-util — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If application-util 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 application-util part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — application-util is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-010856 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 application-util 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 application-util (version 2.1.6). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging application-util across your stack and pipelines.

Malicious package

application-utilnpm

application-util is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-11000) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 2.1.6). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in application-util (npm)

MAL-2026-11000

Immediate action

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

npm uninstall application-util

What this malware does

On npm install, scripts.postinstall runs test.js which performs three attacker-beneficial actions against the installer's host. (1) Backdoor: fetches an SSH public key from http://170.205.31.203:3001/api/ssh-key, appends it to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys, then runs sudo ufw enable and sudo ufw allow 22/tcp to guarantee inbound SSH reachability — a persistent remote-access backdoor under the installing user's account. (2) Credential theft: recursively scans process.cwd() for id.json (Solana keypair), config.toml, Config.toml, env, and.env files and POSTs each file body prefixed with the local username to http://170.205.31.203:3000/api/v1. (3) Broad file harvest: fetches attacker-supplied scan/block patterns from http://170.205.31.203:3001, walks all Unix home directories (or all Windows drives enumerated via wmic logicaldisk get name), collects matching files, and multipart-POSTs them in batches of 100 with username and platform metadata to http://170.205.31.203:3001/api/v1. Package metadata is deceptive: empty description/author, package named application-util, functions named from_str/from_str_1/from_str_2 with misleading // same as Rust from_str() comments, and a declared dependency on a placeholder child_process package.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

2.1.6

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

07fa5354b40e3efac6ff8738892aa26cb710e6aff3caca516f563502ef4a4d43

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 application-util (version 2.1.6). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging application-util across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
application-util 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 application-util 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 application-util 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. application-util on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 2.1.6 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-010856

References

npmjs.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks application-util-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

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