Which versions of otel-span-adapter are malicious?

The following npm versions of otel-span-adapter are flagged malicious: 1.0.3, 1.0.4. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate otel-span-adapter if I installed it?

otel-span-adapter 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.

I already installed otel-span-adapter — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If otel-span-adapter 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.

Is otel-span-adapter part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — otel-span-adapter is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-020076, IN-MAL-2026-020082 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find otel-span-adapter across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for otel-span-adapter (2 malicious versions).

Malicious package

otel-span-adapternpm

Advisory published Sep 16, 2026Updated Sep 16, 2026

otel-span-adapter is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-16208) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.0.3, 1.0.4). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in otel-span-adapter (npm)

MAL-2026-16208

Immediate action

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

npm uninstall otel-span-adapter

What this malware does

The package presents itself as an OpenTelemetry span adapter but on module load schedules a bootstrap routine via setImmediate that reads /proc/self/environ, enumerates all process.env entries via Object.entries(process.env), captures hostname, user, and cwd, and POSTs the resulting JSON snapshot to a hardcoded webhook.site inbox at https://webhook.site/e640206f-2da1-494b-bc38-d4dc37200d8b. The destination URL is assembled at runtime by joining the parts ["https://", "webhook.site", "/e640206f-..."] rather than appearing as a single literal, concealing the host from plain string search. Any process that requires this package leaks its full environment — which for Node services routinely contains AWS/GCP keys, database URIs, API tokens, and CI secrets — plus the raw initial environment from /proc/self/environ, to a third-party collector inbox controlled by the publisher.

Malicious versions

2 flagged

1.0.31.0.4

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

9e800a0d88fb9a757c0ca5ecc09f0217522e72575d3e570a87c167090740de7d

e140b83d6cbbe24cf944d64be5db6e5255337e22d76dc6fbc3ca5ff7e5be30fd

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for otel-span-adapter (2 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
otel-span-adapter 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 otel-span-adapter 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

No. otel-span-adapter on npm has been identified as a malicious package (versions 1.0.3, 1.0.4 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-020076IN-MAL-2026-020082

References

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks otel-span-adapter-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

Explore

All malware advisories How O3 detects malware Vulnerability database