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Malicious package

neanderthal-validatornpm

Malicious code in neanderthal-validator (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

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
  1. Find it

    Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for neanderthal-validator (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 neanderthal-validator across your stack and pipelines.

  2. 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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If neanderthal-validator 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.

  4. How O3 protects you

    O3 blocks neanderthal-validator 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

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

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.

neanderthal-validator (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-2225 | O3 Security