ecto-corsair-flag-x9m4npm
Advisory published Updated
ecto-corsair-flag-x9m4 is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-5686) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in ecto-corsair-flag-x9m4 (npm)
What this malware does
On npm install, postinstall.js executes attacker logic gated by hostname and working-directory checks designed to fire only inside CTF-style container environments (12-hex hostname, cwd under /app/, internal registry hosts like nexus.local/verdaccio) while suppressing execution in obvious analysis sandboxes (cwd containing /tmp/npm-safe or /tmp/pkg, hostname containing nijin/hetzner). When the gate matches, the script reads /app/flag.txt and other source files, spawns /bin/sh -c to recursively grep the filesystem for HTB{...} flag patterns, then POSTs {host, uid, cwd, data} to https://webhook.site/602a4c72-7033-4e28-92ea-dc66e59206e5 and PUTs the same data to http://154.57.164.82:31250. The hostname/cwd gating, the targeted flag-file path, and the dual exfiltration destinations together establish unambiguous malicious intent. Any installer matching the gate has CTF flag contents and host identifiers shipped to attacker infrastructure on install.
Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for ecto-corsair-flag-x9m4 (version 1.0.0).
If you installed it — respond
ecto-corsair-flag-x9m4 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 ecto-corsair-flag-x9m4 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 ecto-corsair-flag-x9m4-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.