nebula-sdknpm
nebula-sdk is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17219) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in nebula-sdk (npm)
What this malware does
The preinstall.cjs lifecycle script embeds a base64-encoded, zlib-compressed Windows PE (~257KB) as a string literal. On npm install, the script decodes and decompresses the blob, writes the resulting executable to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Conhost\conhost.exe (masquerading as the legitimate Windows conhost binary), and spawns it detached with stdio ignored and windowsHide set to true, executing attacker-controlled native code on the installer's Windows machine with no user interaction. Decoded payload strings reference github.com/syskiel/kntrat-e and the IP 65.87.7.132, consistent with a native RAT-family tool. The package's advertised purpose is an AI SDK; a bundled native Windows executable dropped at install time is unrelated to that purpose and is delivered through multi-layer obfuscation (base64 + zlib + string-literal embedding) inside the lifecycle hook.
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
Malicious packageFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for nebula-sdk (2 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging nebula-sdk across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
Remove nebula-sdk 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 nebula-sdk 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 nebula-sdk 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
Detect & block this
O3 blocks nebula-sdk-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.