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Malicious package

bubblestringnpm

Advisory published Updated

bubblestring is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-10496) that executes malicious code on install (malicious version 1.1.4). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in bubblestring (npm)

MAL-2026-10496
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall bubblestring

What this malware does

package.json declares a postinstall hook that runs the package's only code file, index.js, on every npm install. index.js is heavily obfuscated (obfuscator.io-style RC4 string array with 231 entries, two decoders, control-flow flattening). After deobfuscation, the top-level code constructs an IPv4 address by concatenating four numeric octets, performs an HTTPS request to that bare-IP host, writes the response body to a file under the OS temp directory via fs.writeFileSync, and then executes the dropped file via child_process. This is the canonical install-time remote-code-execution dropper shape: mutable attacker-controlled destination, no publisher domain, no integrity check, automatic execution under the installer's user account on npm install. The package metadata reinforces malicious intent — empty description, empty author, no repository or homepage, no exported functionality — and the README instructs users to install and require an unrelated package (@array-util/subsearch), serving as cover for a payload that has no advertised purpose.

Malicious versions

1 flagged
1.1.4

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

d88c674968228c1d12eff609caca870ebe6d572631e15e2bdde0d0d4b7a320f9

Detection & response playbook

Malicious package
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for bubblestring (version 1.1.4).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    Remove bubblestring 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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If bubblestring 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

No. bubblestring on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.1.4 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-010330

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks bubblestring-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.

Explore

bubblestring (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-10496 | O3 Security