node-fetch-utilsnpm
Malicious code in node-fetch-utils (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
What this malware does
On Windows, scripts/postinstall.js XOR-decodes a hardcoded C2 host (node22.lunes.host:3258), authenticates with a 5-minute rolling HMAC-SHA256 token, downloads encrypted Python marshal bytecode from /sync and /go, decrypts it with a sha256 keystream, writes a.dat blob and a Python launcher to %TEMP%, and spawns it detached/hidden via wscript.exe //B //nologo against a generated.vbs — with a code comment explicitly noting that this 'escapes npm job object'. The launcher and.vbs self-delete after spawn. The package.json also pulls a transitive dependency 'node-fetch-core' from an unpinned GitHub master-branch tarball owned by the same author, providing a second mutable auto-execution surface that bypasses registry review and can be swapped post-publish. The package name mimics the well-known node-fetch library, consistent with a typosquat lure delivering this payload. Multi-layer obfuscation (XOR-encoded host/port, HMAC time-window authentication, keystream-encrypted payload, marshal'd bytecode), explicit npm job-object evasion, and self-deleting launchers are operational malware tradecraft, not legitimate install scaffolding.
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
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for node-fetch-utils (7 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging node-fetch-utils across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
node-fetch-utils 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 node-fetch-utils 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 node-fetch-utils 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 node-fetch-utils-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.