nock-helpernpm
Malicious code in nock-helper (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
What this malware does
The package declares scripts.postinstall: node postinstall.js, which runs automatically on npm install. The script is an explicit credential harvester and crypto-wallet stealer. It reads ~/.npmrc (npm _authToken and npm_* tokens), ~/.env (scraping keys matching TOKEN/API_KEY/DB_URL/PAYMENT/CLOUD/EMAIL/WEBHOOK patterns), and ~/.git-credentials. It then enumerates Chrome, Brave, Edge, Chromium, Vivaldi, and Opera browser profile directories (Default, Profile 1, Profile 2) reading Local Extension Settings for 71 hardcoded crypto wallet extension IDs (MetaMask, Phantom, Coinbase Wallet, and others), and scans ~/Documents / ~/Desktop for seed phrase / mnemonic / keystore files. Collected data is POSTed to http://149.28.127.35:8888 (hardcoded bare-IP C2, overridable via C2_URL env). The package further disguises itself: index.js is a dummy module self-describing as 'Lodash JavaScript utilities bundle' with the comment The real payload is in postinstall.js, and the package name nock-helper rides on both nock and lodash brand recognition. This matches multiple attack fingerprints simultaneously: hardcoded C2 in lifecycle script, browser wallet extension ID enumeration, credential-file scraping, and deceptive package identity.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for nock-helper (5 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging nock-helper across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
nock-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 nock-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 nock-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
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks nock-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.