img-to-nativenpm
img-to-native is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17216) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in img-to-native (npm)
What this malware does
On require of img-to-native, index.js polls %TMP%._cif_data for a PNG file staged by the declared companion dependency cdn-img-fetch, locates a //BIN// marker placed after the PNG IEND chunk, base64-decodes and AES-256-CBC-decrypts the trailing blob using a hardcoded 32-byte key derived from the ASCII string 'malfexteam2027', and writes the resulting executable to %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\node_runtime_helper.exe with mode 0700, masquerading as a legitimate Node runtime helper in a system-adjacent Windows path. The fetch of the encrypted payload and the decryption/drop are split across two npm packages (cdn-img-fetch stages the PNG, img-to-native decrypts and drops the binary); the shipped code is inert without the companion write and coordinates via a temp-file poll loop with a ~2-minute wait. Steganographic concealment of the payload inside a PNG plus AES encryption with a hardcoded key is deliberate obfuscation to bypass content scanning, and the README's declared file-copy purpose does not match the dropper behavior.
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
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for img-to-native (2 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging img-to-native across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
Remove img-to-native 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 img-to-native 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 img-to-native 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
Detect & block this
O3 blocks img-to-native-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.