boardstepnpm
boardstep is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-5800) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.5…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in boardstep (npm)
What this malware does
The package wires all three npm lifecycle hooks (preinstall, install, postinstall in package.json) to run install.js, which downloads https://www.pooron.org/tester.exe to the system temp directory under a randomized filename, marks it executable, and spawns it detached with stdio ignored and the window hidden (install.js:9 declares PAYLOAD_URL and install.js:64 calls spawn with {detached: true, stdio: 'ignore', windowsHide: true}). All errors are swallowed. There is no hash verification, the URL is unpinned, and the destination domain is unrelated to any declared publisher. The advertised purpose is a 'lightweight kanban board utility,' but index.js only exports a trivial stub class with format/getSystemInfo methods — no kanban functionality is present. The package metadata also uses a random-looking author handle ('sfhbdrffthger'), consistent with a cover-story lure paired with a dropper. On npm install, the installer's machine fetches and silently executes an opaque attacker-controlled binary.
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 boardstep (9 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging boardstep across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
Remove boardstep 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 boardstep 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 boardstep 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 boardstep-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.