Which versions of github-policy-bot are malicious?

The following npm versions of github-policy-bot are flagged malicious: 1.0.0. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate github-policy-bot if I installed it?

github-policy-bot establishes remote access, so treat any host that installed it as fully compromised. Isolate the machine, remove the package, rotate all credentials it could reach, and rebuild from a trusted image rather than cleaning in place — a backdoor may have planted additional persistence.

I already installed github-policy-bot — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If github-policy-bot 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 github-policy-bot part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — github-policy-bot is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-018342 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 github-policy-bot across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for github-policy-bot (version 1.0.0).

Malicious package

github-policy-botnpm

github-policy-bot is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-14245) that opens a backdoor for remote access (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in github-policy-bot (npm)

MAL-2026-14245

Immediate action

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

npm uninstall github-policy-bot

What this malware does

On npm install, the package's postinstall script collects host identifiers (os.hostname(), platform, arch, node version, package name, npm lifecycle event) and POSTs them as JSON to the hardcoded host vlfl47tl.instances.poc.jchunt.top at path /github-policy-bot. The outbound request is fail-silent (error handler swallows failures) and short-timeout, consistent with a beacon. The package name shadows the Google-owned js-github-policy-bot repository path referenced in the tarball's source.txt, and the package.json author is a placeholder (r00tdaddy) with a self-declared 'security research canary' purpose — an author-controlled label that does not change the behavior. Installing this package causes unsolicited disclosure of the installer's hostname and environment metadata to a third-party endpoint the installer did not configure.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

1.0.0

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

87b8742a99002975ebaced2478673108f4f442e5ac7878651edeb8346702f132

Detection & response playbook

Backdoor / remote access

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for github-policy-bot (version 1.0.0).
If you installed it — respond
github-policy-bot establishes remote access, so treat any host that installed it as fully compromised. Isolate the machine, remove the package, rotate all credentials it could reach, and rebuild from a trusted image rather than cleaning in place — a backdoor may have planted additional persistence.
Did it already run?
If github-policy-bot 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. github-policy-bot on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.0.0 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-018342

References

npmjs.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks github-policy-bot-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the C2 callback and severs the channel.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

Explore

All malware advisories How O3 detects malware Vulnerability database