Which versions of new-helper are malicious?

The following npm versions of new-helper are flagged malicious: 5.8.1. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate new-helper if I installed it?

new-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.

I already installed new-helper — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If new-helper 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.

Is new-helper part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — new-helper is associated with the GHSA-26mv-fx88-4qj7, IN-MAL-2026-009535 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 new-helper across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for new-helper (version 5.8.1). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging new-helper across your stack and pipelines.

Malicious package

new-helpernpm

new-helper is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-6284) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 5.8.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in new-helper (npm)

MAL-2026-6284

Immediate action

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

npm uninstall new-helper

What this malware does

index.js imports child_process and contains execSync calls invoking bash and zsh (around lines 301 and 317). Without traced execution context, it is not possible to determine whether these calls are reachable at install/import time, whether they execute attacker-controlled content, or whether they are gated behind explicit user CLI invocation. No hardcoded attacker C2, credential-path reads, or known-bad-infrastructure fingerprints are present in the available evidence. Routing to human review to inspect the surrounding code paths and confirm intent.

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

5.8.1

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

cabb68bd9f2c4312904814f7c0c11aae7f93772a5c46c28a1ca8292592c83a53

47f6e9bcab53d95265012a31a4dcfc1485ed6db858e788e68ac2ac1ebc33fc34

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for new-helper (version 5.8.1). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging new-helper across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
new-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 new-helper 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 new-helper 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. new-helper on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 5.8.1 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

GHSA-26mv-fx88-4qj7IN-MAL-2026-009535

References

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks new-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.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

Explore

All malware advisories How O3 detects malware Vulnerability database