n8n-nodes-rce-pocnpm
n8n-nodes-rce-poc is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-10503) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in n8n-nodes-rce-poc (npm)
What this malware does
On require by n8n (module-load, top-level code in dist/RceNode.node.js), the package runs a shell command via execSync('/bin/sh',...). The command is taken from process.env.__N8N_RCE_CMD with a default of 'id && hostname && uname -a', so even an unconfigured install shells out and leaks host identity at load time, in the n8n host process and outside the vm2 sandbox. When process.env.__N8N_RCE_CB is set and EXEC_MODE is 'webhook' or 'both', the executed command's stdout/stderr/exitCode are serialized to JSON and HTTP-POSTed to the URL specified in __N8N_RCE_CB (dist/RceNode.node.js:28-40), giving a complete env-driven exfiltration channel to any destination. The node also exposes an execute() method that runs arbitrary user-supplied shell commands via /bin/sh on the n8n host, breaking the workflow Code-node sandbox model. The package.json description self-identifies as an 'n8n RCE proof-of-concept node'. There is no benign installer use: any n8n instance that installs this gains a drop-in remote-code-execution primitive plus a configurable exfiltration callback.
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
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-rce-poc (version 1.0.0). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging n8n-nodes-rce-poc across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
n8n-nodes-rce-poc 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-rce-poc 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-rce-poc 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
- ReversingLabs · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks n8n-nodes-rce-poc-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.