npm-sandbox-research-9c4enpm
npm-sandbox-research-9c4e is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-5759) that opens a backdoor for remote access (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in npm-sandbox-research-9c4e (npm)
What this malware does
On install, package.json runs node run.js via a postinstall lifecycle hook. The package ships beacon scripts (beacon9.js, beacon_linux.js) that import child_process, os, and http, collect host identity (os.hostname(), os.platform()) and issue outbound HTTP POST/GET requests. This is the canonical install-time host beacon / command-execution shape: arbitrary code runs on the installer's machine via npm install, host fingerprints are emitted over the network, and child_process is available to execute received instructions. The package name (npm-sandbox-research-*) and shipped contents are inconsistent with any legitimate library purpose.
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
Backdoor / remote accessFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for npm-sandbox-research-9c4e (version 1.0.0). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging npm-sandbox-research-9c4e across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
npm-sandbox-research-9c4e establishes remote access, so treat any host that installed it as fully compromised. Isolate the machine, remove the package, rotate all credentials it could reach, and rebuild from a trusted image rather than cleaning in place — a backdoor may have planted additional persistence.
Did it already run?
If npm-sandbox-research-9c4e 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 npm-sandbox-research-9c4e 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 npm-sandbox-research-9c4e-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the C2 callback and severs the channel.