gpu-acceleratornpm
Advisory published Updated
gpu-accelerator is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-5980) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 1.4.2, 1.4.3, 1.4.4…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in gpu-accelerator (npm)
What this malware does
The package advertises itself as a PostCSS plugin for CSS hardware-acceleration hints, but its only legitimate behavior is a 3-line walkDecls that adds will-change: transform. When the plugin factory in lib/index.js is invoked (which happens automatically when a developer wires the plugin into their PostCSS pipeline), it reads assets/driver-shim.bin (a 55,928-byte comma-separated integer list), XOR-decodes every byte with 0xA5 to recover ~56 KB of JavaScript source, and executes that source via vm.Script(...).runInContext(...) with require, process, console, and Buffer exposed in the context — granting the decoded code full Node privileges including filesystem and network access. Decoding confirms the bytes are JavaScript source (recurring function and require tokens, quoted module names). Before decoding, lib/index.js:18-21 checks process.env.CI || process.env.CONTINUOUS_INTEGRATION and !process.stdout.isTTY and returns early in those cases — a deliberate sandbox-evasion gate that keeps the payload dormant on CI runners and automated scanners while firing on interactive developer workstations. The combination of (a) a cover-story package whose advertised purpose is unrelated to its actual code, (b) an XOR-obfuscated executable blob shipped as a.bin asset, (c) vm.Script execution of that blob with full Node capabilities, and (d) a CI/headless evasion gate is the canonical supply-chain attack fingerprint.
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
Malicious packageFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for gpu-accelerator (6 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
Remove gpu-accelerator from your project and lockfile, then assume any secrets accessible to the build or runtime were exposed: rotate API keys, tokens, and credentials, and audit for unexpected outbound activity or persistence.
Did it already run?
If gpu-accelerator 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 gpu-accelerator-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the malicious outbound activity and severs the channel.