n8n-nodes-utils-helpernpm
Advisory published Updated
n8n-nodes-utils-helper is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-11006) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in n8n-nodes-utils-helper (npm)
What this malware does
The package advertises itself as an n8n community node ('Utility nodes for n8n'), but the declared community node file MyNode.js is an empty stub and the real payload lives in index.js, which is set as main and executes as a top-level IIFE the moment the package is required. On load, index.js spawns /bin/bash and connects it to 103.27.109.184:8895 via /dev/tcp, giving the operator an interactive reverse shell on the installer's host. It also collects hostname, user id, IP addresses, Docker state, environment variables, and kubelet/kubeconfig contents and streams the data as JSON to 103.27.109.184 on ports 8890 and 8891. It attempts several Docker container-escape techniques (bind-mounting the host root filesystem into an alpine container, and --privileged nsenter) to append an attacker-controlled ssh-ed25519 key tagged 'n8n-backdoor' to /root/.ssh/authorized_keys on the host, establishing persistent root SSH access. It additionally targets a specific local Docker container id and internal Evolution API endpoints with default admin/admin credentials for lateral movement. The n8n community-node metadata is a cover story for a targeted attack against n8n + Evolution API deployments.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for n8n-nodes-utils-helper (3 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
n8n-nodes-utils-helper 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-utils-helper 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 n8n-nodes-utils-helper-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.