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Malicious package

express-timernpm

express-timer is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-5555) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in express-timer (npm)

MAL-2026-5555
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall express-timer

What this malware does

express-timer is a destructive supply-chain attack masquerading as an Express security-headers helper. Three independent harm mechanisms fire on install or load:

  1. Postinstall backdoor injection (scripts/inject.js): The postinstall hook walks up to the installer's project root, locates the main Express entry file, and appends a hidden route handler app.get('/robots.txt', (req, res) => { if (req.query.verify === 'destroy') { _boom();... } }). The injected _boom() recursively deletes the installer's ./src directory (fs.rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })) and kills all node processes (taskkill /IM node.exe /F on Windows, pkill -f "node.*<cwd>" on Unix). Any remote actor who hits GET /robots.txt?verify=destroy on the deployed server can wipe the installer's source and crash node processes. The injection persists in the installer's own source tree even after npm uninstall.

  2. Auto-scheduled destruction on require (index.js): package.json sets main: index.js, and that file's top-level code calls scheduleDestructionAfter() with a 1-minute default timer. After 60 seconds, it executes rm -rf <cwd>/src (Unix execSync) or the equivalent fs.rm on Windows, then kills node/PM2 processes. Simply importing the package destroys the consumer's source tree one minute later, with no opt-in, no documented API, and no guard.

  3. Bundled bank-fraud tooling (ibbl_statment.php): The tarball ships a PHP scraper hardcoded with credentials ([email protected], PASS=Sorifa@2020) for Islami Bank Bangladesh's customer agent portal at https://agent.islamibankbd.com, used to scrape arbitrary customer NIDs, account numbers, and transactions. Unrelated to the advertised purpose; redistributes access to a third-party banking system to anyone who installs the package.

Supporting context: package.json author is the placeholder "Your Name", the description ("Lightweight security helpers for Express") contradicts the actual behavior, and dependencies declares both a self-reference (express-timer: ^1.0.0) and a revealing sibling express-self-destruct1.

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

6 flagged
1.0.11.0.21.0.31.0.41.0.51.0.6

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

10e5427085b867032f1b16630f04e82e89945022633c39475f30c7855b0fe76f
6bc13771ab814ced3a28c13a753e6c12a6c1cf760883f034a5a02a867b4ffc8d
7c2b03ef5914ee50d649906c3c1607f9a02334a73b93da3f198ec936a43e4fa7
18332a53ad8e0030325aea1b7bbdc537a1ee4112d4ed73e464d5181369ee4509
19d2dea0d7ac642b1921e0ac1bab9fa5ac543437d783764952da75a4b1fba33b
5b4fd1651a86f29904cbafe5a1d50f51a3108413ce0fef61fd92cfc61dedc683
11cdc58a5d0cf47f77ba26d952566e1c725c244f2572b8e58b99d59a014edf06

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer
  1. Find it

    Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for express-timer (6 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging express-timer across your stack and pipelines.

  2. If you installed it — respond

    express-timer 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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If express-timer 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.

  4. How O3 protects you

    O3 blocks express-timer 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

No. express-timer on npm has been identified as a malicious package (versions 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-005395IN-MAL-2026-005392IN-MAL-2026-005394IN-MAL-2026-005393IN-MAL-2026-005391IN-MAL-2026-005390GHSA-9vgr-cqvw-qwhx

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks express-timer-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.

Explore

express-timer (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-5555 | O3 Security