node-procmetricsnpm
Malicious code in node-procmetrics (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
What this malware does
install.js executes automatically via the package.json postinstall hook. It XOR-decodes (key 0x5A) a hardcoded npm registry auth token and writes it into the installer's global npm config at //registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken, replacing the installer's own npm authentication with an attacker-controlled identity. It then polls registry.npmjs.org for this package's dist-tags, base64-decodes the 'cmd' field, and executes the resulting string via spawnSync('bash', ['-c', cmd],...) in an infinite loop, giving the publisher arbitrary shell execution on any machine that installs the package. The output and exit code of each executed command are base64-encoded, placed into a synthesized package.json description field under /tmp/pm-pkg, and pushed back to the public npm registry via 'npm publish --access public' using the hijacked token, using the registry itself as the exfiltration channel. For persistence, install.js copies itself to /tmp/.pm-agent.js and spawns a detached, unref'd Node process pointing at that file, so the polling loop survives past the npm install invocation. The combination of covert channel via dist-tags, XOR-obfuscated embedded credential, credential replacement in the installer's npm config, and detached persistent process is unambiguous backdoor behavior at install time.
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-procmetrics (9 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging node-procmetrics across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
node-procmetrics 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-procmetrics 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-procmetrics 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-procmetrics-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.