flowcardanonpm
Advisory published Updated
flowcardano is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-5805) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 9.9.9). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in flowcardano (npm)
What this malware does
flow/surf-lending DeFi cred-exfil campaign sibling (c1655). Cardano-themed Sentinel-9.9.9 dependency-confusion squat. preinstall node index.js || true exfils env secrets (mnemonic/private-key/token/blockfrost) to raw C2 2.25.140.71:8443/surflending/npm-confusion (same C2 as flow-lending/surf-lending/flow-lending-sdk/bodega-sdk/flowdefi). Automated analysis timed out; classified by campaign attribution (verified identical siblings). No-renotify.
On npm install, package.json's preinstall hook runs node index.js, which collects host identity (os.hostname(), os.userInfo().username, cwd) and scrapes process.env for any key matching the regex key|seed|secret|token|private|mnemonic|password|blockfrost|redis|telegram|batcher, then POSTs the resulting JSON to https://2.25.140.71:8443/surflending/npm-confusion (index.js lines 13-17). The destination is a bare IP rather than any publisher- or vendor-owned host, and the request path (/surflending/npm-confusion) self-describes the intent as a dependency-confusion exfiltration channel. The package name flowcardano impersonates Cardano-ecosystem tooling and is published at version 9.9.9, the canonical dependency-confusion bait version chosen to outrank legitimate internal packages in resolver order. Any developer or CI agent that installs this package leaks credential-shaped environment variables (wallet seeds/mnemonics, private keys, Blockfrost / Telegram / Redis tokens, generic API tokens and passwords) along with host identifiers to the attacker.
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 flowcardano (version 9.9.9).
If you installed it — respond
flowcardano 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 flowcardano 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
- SafeDep · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks flowcardano-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.