evil-pkgnpm
Advisory published Updated
evil-pkg is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-6374) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in evil-pkg (npm)
What this malware does
Package declares "bin": {"node": "./shim.js"} in package.json, which registers shim.js as the node command in node_modules/.bin. In any environment where node_modules/.bin is prepended to PATH (notably Bun, but also any shell or tool that resolves binaries through the local bin directory), subsequent invocations of node — including those made by other packages' lifecycle scripts during the same install — will execute shim.js instead of the real Node.js runtime. When triggered, shim.js writes /tmp/.bun-npm-pwned and prints a hijack banner to stderr. The current payload is a benign marker, but the mechanism is a fully functional unconsented code-execution channel on the installer's machine: any code placed in shim.js would run with the installer's privileges whenever a sibling package invokes node during install. The package's own README markets this behavior as a PATH-poisoning attack proof-of-concept (BunnyHijack) and explicitly notes that a real attacker would use the same vector to exfiltrate .env, ~/.ssh, and ~/.npmrc. Hijacking a core runtime command name is not a legitimate use of the bin field and constitutes a deliberate supply-chain attack mechanism shipped to the registry.
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 evil-pkg (6 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
evil-pkg 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 evil-pkg 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 evil-pkg-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.