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Malicious package

native-runnernpm

Advisory published Updated

native-runner is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17218) that executes malicious code on install (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 native-runner (npm)

MAL-2026-17218
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall native-runner

What this malware does

On require('native-runner'), a top-level IIFE in index.js polls for up to two minutes for a file at %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\node_runtime_helper.exe and, once present, spawns it via child_process.spawn with {detached:true, windowsHide:true, stdio:'ignore'} and unref's the child, so the process outlives the importing Node process with no visible window and no captured output. This launcher is not part of the package's advertised API (README describes only runBinary/runDetached) and fires purely as a side effect of import. The staging directory %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows is chosen to resemble a legitimate Windows system location. The manifest declares a single dependency, img-to-native@^1.0.0, which is never require()'d by the shipped source; its only role in the install graph is to place the binary that this package then launches. Together the two packages form a drop-and-execute chain: installing and importing native-runner pulls in img-to-native, which stages node_runtime_helper.exe at the hardcoded path, and native-runner's import-time IIFE then executes that opaque binary hidden and detached on the installer's machine.

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
1.0.01.0.11.0.21.0.3

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

4eb077250ca4da76df88e49a2c314e67cb58761ae1cbffa1aa7742878d042a44
c057973da17ec629b4cd8c10a2b74108761f4a9ad4a1a31b280031da1f7139ca
5a41542cf19ac4518fe1a13a0850397184cddb6e27037fbbe448977c207ed5f0
13862c570be62d7b32db38704c225f91c04a9831c51b62b3ccadf04cc60d93a1
bda20b319060b45bd250325d39f889065ffabb4e04c3810185b6465664eed0a0

Detection & response playbook

Malicious package
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for native-runner (4 malicious versions).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    Remove native-runner 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 native-runner 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. native-runner on npm has been identified as a malicious package (versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

GHSA-jxw5-69p3-hpm4IN-MAL-2026-020601IN-MAL-2026-020599IN-MAL-2026-020617IN-MAL-2026-020694

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks native-runner-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

native-runner (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-17218 | O3 Security