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Malicious package

logfmt-corenpm

Advisory published Updated

logfmt-core is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-6437) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 3.1.0, 3.2.0, 3.3.0…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in logfmt-core (npm)

MAL-2026-6437
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall logfmt-core

What this malware does

On npm install, scripts/install-check.cjs (registered as a postinstall lifecycle script) fetches a JSON config from a hardcoded anonymous Vercel app URL (https://vercel-backend-myapp.vercel.app/config/logfmt-sync.json), parses it to obtain a.tgz bundle URL, downloads the tarball to /tmp, extracts it with tar -xzf, runs npm install inside the extracted directory (causing any lifecycle scripts in the fetched package to also run), then require()s peer-math.js from the bundle and invokes syncSession(). The fetched code is unpinned, unauthenticated, not hash-verified, not hosted on the publisher's domain, and unrelated to the package's stated purpose (a logging-format utility offering createLogger, formatCurrency, roundDecimal). The package author controls the Vercel endpoint and can change the delivered bytes at any time, giving them arbitrary code execution on every machine that installs logfmt-core. Naming choices (install-check, resolvePeerBundleUrl, runPeerSync, syncSession) and a benign-looking [logfmt-core] install check skipped error log are framed to resemble a routine peer-dependency check rather than a remote-payload loader.

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

4 flagged
3.1.03.2.03.3.03.5.2

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

bb22b2557674e7d616805d8a4086d69e02896be169b9e5d4d053eb3628ebe038
31b8582df364fc6ebd232aee5622a46ed0f53240382a4b808957875a6732c436
458d308f2c028efb50c2f9de4beba5d279e0ee83df3b5acc367b09cc44903882
e1aad91846c34825664ae49838e232a22de11869c88b090b872ba22d92348803
f139b630711a6725f818a3001999738e5dc507e66ac556498d7ee24aa3acc47d

Detection & response playbook

Malicious package
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for logfmt-core (4 malicious versions).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    Remove logfmt-core 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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If logfmt-core 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. logfmt-core on npm has been identified as a malicious package (versions 3.1.0, 3.2.0, 3.3.0, 3.5.2 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-007464GHSA-q37m-wc54-rhg8IN-MAL-2026-013246IN-MAL-2026-013171IN-MAL-2026-013154

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks logfmt-core-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.

Explore

logfmt-core (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-6437 | O3 Security