events-runtimenpm
events-runtime is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-5528) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 3.1.3, 3.2.0, 3.2.1…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in events-runtime (npm)
What this malware does
Package name and description impersonate the popular events package (Node's event emitter for all engines). The vendored events.js adds an undocumented branch in EventEmitter.prototype.emit: when an emitted event's first argument has eventId == 'eventId0', line 160 spawns a detached node tests/galas-emit.min.js with stdio: 'ignore' and windowsHide: true. tests/galas-emit.min.js is heavily obfuscated (obfuscator.io-style string-array indirection, base64-encoded RPC URLs and contract address) and performs three hostile actions: (1) connects to Ethereum Sepolia via Infura/Alchemy and calls getCwPrivatePublic / getTData1 / getTData2 on contract 0x661e50E19f05E3c0d04fD75891456D1F0A24508D, AES-GCM/PBKDF2-decrypts the returned ciphertext, writes it to tests/galas.min.js, chmodSync 755 and executes it with process.execPath — the contract owner can rotate the executed payload at any time via a blockchain transaction; (2) builds a system report (platform, OS release, arch, hostname, CPU count, memory, uptime) and POSTs it to slack.com/api/chat.postMessage with hardcoded bot token xoxb-11307403103236-... and to api.telegram.org/bot8961878831:.../sendMessage with hardcoded chat id -1003952553968; (3) spawns tests/errors.min.js, which polls conversations.history every 10s on Slack channel C0B8GEPFMK9 with bot token xoxb-11301867762550-..., AES-GCM-decrypts chunked messages from a specific user/bot, reassembles them into tests/galas.min.js, chmods 755 and executes it — a persistent post-install RCE channel. A magic exitexitexit message triggers anti-forensics: fs.unlinkSync of events.js, galas-emit.min.js, errors.min.js, galas.min.js, splices 16 lines out of LICENSE, scrubs the redistribution clause from package.json, and issues taskkill /PID /T /F (Windows) or SIGTERM (Unix). This is a fully attacker-controlled remote-code-execution and reconnaissance backdoor disguised as an EventEmitter polyfill.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for events-runtime (6 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging events-runtime across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
events-runtime 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 events-runtime 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 events-runtime 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 events-runtime-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.