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Malicious package

node-path-utilsnpm

node-path-utils is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-5985) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 1.23.2). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in node-path-utils (npm)

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.

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
1.23.2

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

180db640dc8207694eb4629834f74b740d7efc9febf26067d190e10656fe04e9
a2a4eacda1ec7e6cac94034445386423f67ac00c917bcca6bff68ea06f4aed99

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer
  1. Find it

    Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for node-path-utils (version 1.23.2). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging node-path-utils across your stack and pipelines.

  2. If you installed it — respond

    node-path-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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If node-path-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.

  4. How O3 protects you

    O3 blocks node-path-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

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-2026-006880GHSA-7qr8-pqwp-95p9

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks node-path-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.

Explore

node-path-utils (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-5985 | O3 Security