array-framesnpm
Advisory published Updated
array-frames is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-15969) that typosquats a legitimate package to trick installs (malicious versions 2.3.2, 2.3.3, 2.3.4…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in array-frames (npm)
What this malware does
The npm package [email protected] advertises a trivial array chunking utility but ships an obfuscator.io-wrapped payload as its main module. On require(), a top-level IIFE in array-frames.js creates a hidden directory under os.homedir(), writes a decoded main.js and a synthetic package.json declaring dependencies on axios, better-sqlite3, node-machine-id, socket.io-client (plus ffi-napi on win32), spawns npm install in that directory via process.execPath, and then launches the staged payload detached with unref(). On Windows the dropper additionally writes a.vbs shim and, when %WINDIR%\system32\wscript.exe is present, launches the payload through wscript.exe with windowsHide:true and detached:true to survive parent-process exit and hide the window; it falls back to a detached node launch otherwise. The staged main.js is itself a second nested obfuscator.io program. The package impersonates Blake Embrey's node-frames/array-frames utility — README badges and install instructions point at npmjs.org/package/node-frames and github.com/blakeembrey/node-frames, package.json reuses the author identity [email protected], and dependencies self-reference "array-frames":"^2.3.6" — none of which matches the actual obfuscated dropper body.
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
TyposquatFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for array-frames (5 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
array-frames is a typosquat — you almost certainly intended a legitimately-named package. Remove array-frames, install the correct package, and rotate any secrets exposed during the install since post-install scripts may have already run.
Did it already run?
If array-frames 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 array-frames-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.