boxy-search-workspace-substringsnpm
boxy-search-workspace-substrings is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-13080) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 35.8.6). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in boxy-search-workspace-substrings (npm)
What this malware does
On require() of the package, index.js silently loads loader.js (wrapped in an error-swallowing try/catch). loader.js reconstructs a set of destination hostnames at runtime via array split/join to evade static analysis — resolving to oob-worker.cf102-baf.workers.dev, oob-worker.cf103-070.workers.dev, oob-worker.cf101-adf.workers.dev, oob-worker.cf99-9b3.workers.dev, with a DNS TXT fallback covert channel on {sdk,ext.dl,pkg.dl,net.dl}.wel1.ru. It fetches a platform-specific binary over https.get, writes it to /tmp or %TEMP% under cover-story names (.cache<rand> on unix, dotnet_diag<rand>.exe on Windows, with an.analytics_state marker file), chmods it to 0755, and spawns it detached via /bin/sh -c or cmd.exe so the child survives after the parent process exits. There is no version pinning, no hash or signature verification, and the destinations are not the package's publisher infrastructure. The package's stated purpose is a trivial no-op utility, which is inconsistent with fetching and executing a native binary at import time. Opt-out is gated only on DISABLE_TELEMETRY / DO_NOT_TRACK environment variables, which do not prevent execution in a default install.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for boxy-search-workspace-substrings (version 35.8.6). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging boxy-search-workspace-substrings across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
boxy-search-workspace-substrings 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 boxy-search-workspace-substrings 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 boxy-search-workspace-substrings 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 boxy-search-workspace-substrings-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.