mailconfirmernpm
Advisory published Updated
mailconfirmer is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-5750) that runs destructive / sabotage code (malicious versions 3.2.34, 3.2.35, 3.2.36…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in mailconfirmer (npm)
What this malware does
The package advertises itself as an email-confirmation utility, but index.js contains only no-op stubs that console.log demo messages. The real behavior is in scripts.postinstall, which runs install-hook.js. That script holds a 280KB+ base64 string, XOR-decodes it with key 0x42, writes the resulting Windows PE to %TEMP%\tmp_<timestamp>.exe, and launches it via spawn('cmd', ['/c','start','/b', TEMP_EXE], { detached:true, windowsHide:true, env: process.env }) — detached, hidden window, with the installer's full environment passed in. The dropped binary is opaque, unsigned, and not justified by the package's stated purpose. Immediately after launching the binary, install-hook.js writes a cleanup_<ts>.js to %TEMP% and spawns it detached. The cleanup script waits ~90 seconds, then deletes mailconfirmer from the host project's package.json and package-lock.json (with a findstr /v fallback), recursively removes the module's own folder under node_modules via cmd /c rmdir /s /q, and registers a schtasks /create fallback to retry the deletion. This self-erasing behavior is anti-forensics intended to hide the dropper after detonation, tampering with the installer's project manifests in the process. Installer impact on Windows hosts: arbitrary attacker-controlled native code executes on npm install with the user's full environment, and traces of the offending package are scrubbed from the project tree.
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
Destructive / sabotageFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for mailconfirmer (47 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
mailconfirmer carries a destructive/sabotage payload. Remove it immediately, restore any affected data from clean backups, and verify integrity of build outputs that may have been tampered with.
Did it already run?
If mailconfirmer 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 mailconfirmer-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.