birch-css-utilsnpm
Advisory published Updated
birch-css-utils is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-18331) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.2.2, 1.3.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in birch-css-utils (npm)
What this malware does
Package advertises itself as a zero-runtime CSS theme kit and instructs installation as a Tailwind name-overlay (npm install -D tailwindcss@npm:birch-css-utils), but the published tarball contains ~760KB of heavily obfuscated JS (build-cache.mjs, cache-sweep.mjs, cache-warm.mjs) hidden behind a tailwindcss-theme-kit build cache manifest cover comment. The declared ./tokens export (tokens.mjs) top-level-imports cache-warm.mjs, so consumers that import birch-css-utils/tokens execute the obfuscated code on module load. The bundles use a hex-named XOR-encoded string array; decoding with key 0xED reveals AWS Sigv4 signing primitives (AWS4-HMAC-SHA256#Credential=), an AWS Access Key ID regex (^(?:AKIA|ASIA|ABIA|ACCA)[A-Z0-9]{16}$), and git identity env var names (GIT_AUTHOR_NAME, GIT_AUTHOR_DATE) embedded in the string array. A CSS custom-properties package has no legitimate use for AWS v4 signing material or an AWS key-ID matcher. The combination of Tailwind name-overlay install instructions, a README denying runtime JS, obfuscated executable bundles reachable from a public export, and decoded AWS credential-harvesting primitives constitutes a Tailwind imposter that steals AWS credentials from importing consumers.
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
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for birch-css-utils (2 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
birch-css-utils 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 birch-css-utils 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 birch-css-utils-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.