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Malicious package

eacq-acq-menu-corenpm

Advisory published Updated

eacq-acq-menu-core is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-13206) that opens a backdoor for remote access (malicious version 35.9.7). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in eacq-acq-menu-core (npm)

MAL-2026-13206
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall eacq-acq-menu-core

What this malware does

On require(), index.js loads helpers.js which reconstructs C2 hostnames from split-string arrays (e.g., 'oob-worker.cf*.workers.dev' and 'sdk.dl.wel1.ru') and downloads a platform-specific binary via https.get. The binary is written to /tmp or %TEMP% under a disguised name (dotnet_diag<hex>.exe,.cache_<hex>), chmodded 0o755 on Unix, and spawned detached via cmd.exe/start or /bin/sh -c with the '&' background operator. When HTTPS delivery fails, a fallback path queries DNS TXT records at c.<domain> and numbered subdomains under dl.wel1.ru, concatenates the returned chunks, base64-decodes them, and writes the result as the executable payload — a covert DNS-TXT transport for payload delivery. Hostnames are fragmented across arrays and joined at runtime specifically to evade static string search, with cover-story comments ('Retry with exponential backoff', 'DNS-based discovery') inserted around the dropper logic. The package's README presents it as a benign 'base framework module', which does not match the shipped behavior.

Malicious versions

1 flagged
35.9.7

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

daaba295870311c8170bc4ec82050e0f4ba2989be2b3e10de136647fc18ea6fc

Detection & response playbook

Backdoor / remote access
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for eacq-acq-menu-core (version 35.9.7).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    eacq-acq-menu-core 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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If eacq-acq-menu-core 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. eacq-acq-menu-core on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 35.9.7 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-015570

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks eacq-acq-menu-core-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the C2 callback and severs the channel.

Explore

eacq-acq-menu-core (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-13206 | O3 Security