Which versions of neanderthal-validator are malicious?

The following npm versions of neanderthal-validator are flagged malicious: 1.0.0. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate neanderthal-validator if I installed it?

Remove neanderthal-validator 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.

I already installed neanderthal-validator — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If neanderthal-validator 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.

Is neanderthal-validator part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — neanderthal-validator is associated with the GHSA-f8qc-h6gw-x2vm, RLMA-2026-01997 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find neanderthal-validator across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for neanderthal-validator (version 1.0.0).

Malicious package

neanderthal-validatornpm

Advisory published Mar 26, 2026Updated Apr 16, 2026

neanderthal-validator is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-2225) that executes malicious code on install (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in neanderthal-validator (npm)

MAL-2026-2225

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

npm uninstall neanderthal-validator

What this malware does

The package neanderthal-validator was found to contain malicious code.

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

1 flagged

1.0.0

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

94fdbd22658da9d5708144f8a84c96e6b9d63c794569c05d5e0cb7d8222ac67e

6c122a6fe5778bb430f198abe8838eb5d20ce083dca9ee1fdda16354222d1636

1c6a586f9b5f9452a8562ddd08134a2bd2de021fab63e264a6ecb17b88883423

Detection & response playbook

Malicious package

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for neanderthal-validator (version 1.0.0).
If you installed it — respond
Remove neanderthal-validator 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.
Did it already run?
If neanderthal-validator 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. neanderthal-validator on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.0.0 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

GHSA-f8qc-h6gw-x2vmRLMA-2026-01997

References

github.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder
ReversingLabs · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks neanderthal-validator-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.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

Explore

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