Which versions of node-path-utils are malicious?

The following npm versions of node-path-utils are flagged malicious: 1.23.2. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate node-path-utils if I installed it?

Remove node-path-utils 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 network activity or persistence. Use O3 Security's dependency scanner to confirm the package and its artifacts are fully purged across your stack.

Is node-path-utils part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — node-path-utils is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-006880 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

Can O3 Security detect node-path-utils in my codebase?

Yes. O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, blocking node-path-utils and packages like it before any post-install script runs.

Malicious package

node-path-utilsnpm

Malicious code in node-path-utils (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

MAL-2026-5985

Immediate action

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

npm uninstall node-path-utils

What this malware does

Package name node-path-utils and its README/description claim it is 'an exact copy of the NodeJS path module', impersonating the Node.js core path standard library to lure developers into installing it. On require() of the main entry (path.js), a top-level IIFE invokes loadTokenData(), which decodes a base64-encoded URL (aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuanNvbmtlZXBlci5jb20vYi9QMENORA== → https://www.jsonkeeper.com/b/P0CND), fetch()es it, and passes the response JSON's content field directly to eval(). jsonkeeper.com is a free, mutable JSON-paste service: whoever controls the paste can swap the served code at any time, executing arbitrary attacker-controlled JavaScript in the consumer's Node process on every import. Additionally, path.js does require('mddriver') at module top with mddriver: "*" in dependencies — an unused, unpinned third-party package pulled into the installer's process at import, providing a second smuggling vector for attacker code via the transitive dependency. The combination of stdlib impersonation, base64-obfuscated remote fetch, eval of mutable paste-host content, and an unused wildcard-pinned sidecar dep is an unambiguous remote-code-execution dropper.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

1.23.2

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

180db640dc8207694eb4629834f74b740d7efc9febf26067d190e10656fe04e9

Frequently asked questions

No. node-path-utils on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.23.2 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-006880

References

npmjs.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

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