cisco-github-simplenpm
cisco-github-simple is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-16381) that opens a backdoor for remote access (malicious version 1.0.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in cisco-github-simple (npm)
What this malware does
The package declares a preinstall lifecycle hook (node index.js) that runs automatically on npm install. index.js collects host reconnaissance from the installer — os.hostname(), os.userInfo().username, home directory, DNS server list, and the contents of /etc/passwd and /etc/hosts, together with the package.json — assembles them into a JSON tracking payload, and POSTs the payload over HTTPS to the Burp Collaborator subdomain prk15yh0sbkd1305h200c2wv5mbhz7nw.oastify.com. The package name impersonates Cisco's GitHub namespace, consistent with a dependency-confusion recon beacon targeting internal Cisco builds. There is no legitimate purpose served by the code; installing or building against this package leaks sensitive host and account information to an attacker-controlled out-of-band domain.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Backdoor / remote accessFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for cisco-github-simple (version 1.0.1). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging cisco-github-simple across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
cisco-github-simple establishes remote access, so treat any host that installed it as fully compromised. Isolate the machine, remove the package, rotate all credentials it could reach, and rebuild from a trusted image rather than cleaning in place — a backdoor may have planted additional persistence.
Did it already run?
If cisco-github-simple 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 cisco-github-simple 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 cisco-github-simple-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the C2 callback and severs the channel.