gunpowder-ghostnpm
gunpowder-ghost is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2025-49286) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 209.0.0, 210.0.0, 211.0.0…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in gunpowder-ghost (npm)
What this malware does
Four pirate-themed npm packages (blackbeards-navigator, beusy, sirens-lament, gunpowder-ghost) were published by the npm account beusy with heavily inflated version numbers (209.0.0–210.0.0), a hallmark of dependency confusion attacks. Each package contains identical malicious lifecycle scripts (preinstall, install, and postinstall) that run on npm install, searching the entire filesystem (up to 8 directory levels deep) for HackTheBox CTF flags matching the pattern HTB{. If no flags are found, the scripts collect environment variables and /proc/1/environ as a fallback. The collected data is base64-encoded and exfiltrated via an HTTPS GET request to an attacker-controlled ngrok tunnel (https://7f83-194-51-113-30.ngrok-free.app), with the package name and hostname included as query parameters. The packages have no legitimate functionality; index.js exports an empty object.
This package (gunpowder-ghost) identifies itself as pkg=gunpowder-ghost in the exfil request. All three lifecycle hooks run the same payload, ensuring execution regardless of npm lifecycle ordering.
The package gunpowder-ghost was found to contain malicious code.
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.
The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'gunpowder-ghost' @ 209.0.0 (npm) as malicious.
It is considered malicious because:
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The package communicates with a domain associated with malicious activity.
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The package executes one or more commands associated with malicious behavior.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for gunpowder-ghost (7 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging gunpowder-ghost across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
gunpowder-ghost 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 gunpowder-ghost 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 blocks gunpowder-ghost 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
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
- OpenSSF: Package Analysis · finder
- SafeDep · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks gunpowder-ghost-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.