n8n-nodes-pentest-rcenpm
Malicious code in n8n-nodes-pentest-rce (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
What this malware does
On npm install, the package's postinstall script runs a shell pipeline that reads the Kubernetes service-account token from /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token (truncated to 200 bytes), the pod namespace file, the first 20 sorted environment variables, and host fingerprinting data (id, hostname, uname -a, ip addr, /etc/os-release, mount, /proc/1/status, /proc/1/cgroup), emitting them between =RCE_START= / =RCE_END= markers. In typical n8n custom-node installation contexts (n8n cloud, CI build pipelines, container-image builds), install-time stdout is captured into build logs accessible to the attacker. The advertised node code in dist/PentestNode.node.js is a no-op (return [this.getInputData()]) and index.js exports {} — the package provides no functional value to a consumer; the install-time shell payload is the entire purpose. The package self-identifies as a 'pentest proof of concept' for RCE in its name and description. The exfiltrated K8s SA token grants API access to the cluster the installer runs in, and the env-var dump commonly contains cloud-provider credentials.
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 n8n-nodes-pentest-rce (26 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging n8n-nodes-pentest-rce across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
n8n-nodes-pentest-rce 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 n8n-nodes-pentest-rce 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 n8n-nodes-pentest-rce 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 n8n-nodes-pentest-rce-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.