chromatitlenpm
Advisory published Updated
chromatitle is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17173) that executes malicious code on install (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in chromatitle (npm)
What this malware does
chromatitle advertises itself as an ANSI color/title formatting library but its main entry src/index.js unconditionally calls _bootstrap() at top level, transferring control to src/utils/bootstrap.js. bootstrap.js is a ~51KB javascript-obfuscator artifact (rotated string array, RC4-style decoder, self-defending IIFE, hex-mangled identifiers such as _0x59ef48/_0x4c3a73/_0xbac3ae) that imports https.get and child_process.execFile and consumes a getSystemInfo helper returning the host platform (windows/linux/macos/freebsd/sunos). The combination of import-time execution, platform-gated branching, remote HTTPS fetch, and subprocess execution inside a file whose contents are deliberately concealed matches the fetch-and-execute dropper shape. A terminal color/title formatter has no functional need for child_process or outbound HTTPS at import time, and the obfuscation hides the destination host and the command handed to execFile. Any downstream package that requires or imports chromatitle triggers this loader on load.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Malicious packageFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for chromatitle (version 1.0.0).
If you installed it — respond
Remove chromatitle 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 chromatitle 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 chromatitle-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.