ollama-helpersnpm
Advisory published Updated
ollama-helpers is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-6581) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 0.1.0, 0.1.1, 0.2.0…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in ollama-helpers (npm)
What this malware does
scripts/postinstall.js executes automatically on npm install and performs a bulk harvest of installer-side identity and configuration data: OS hostname and username, ~/.gitconfig user email, recent committer emails parsed from.git/logs/HEAD, SSH public-key comments from ~/.ssh/*.pub, GitHub identity from ~/.config/gh/hosts.yml, GCP project/account, AWS profile names from ~/.aws/config, DNS search domain, CWD, CI provider, and parent project package.json author/repo. The collected JSON is POSTed via https.request to the hardcoded endpoint npm-package-logger-228835561205.europe-west1.run.app, an anonymous Google Cloud Run host unrelated to the package's claimed homepage (ollama-js.dev). The package additionally impersonates the Ollama ecosystem with fabricated publisher metadata (author 'Ollama JS Dev', homepage ollama-js.dev, repo github.com/ollama-js-dev) — none of which belong to the official Ollama project at ollama.com / github.com/ollama. The declared main (dist/index.js) is not shipped in the tarball; the only executable surface is the postinstall data-collection script, confirming the package is a pure exfiltration vehicle dressed as an Ollama helpers library. The 'telemetry' framing in the script is a cover story — scope (SSH key comments, committer history, AWS profile inventory, cloud account identifiers) far exceeds anything a legitimate version/platform telemetry beacon would collect, and no consent prompt or opt-out exists.
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
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for ollama-helpers (23 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
ollama-helpers 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 ollama-helpers was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.
Frequently asked questions
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks ollama-helpers-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.