paperclip-adapter-helpersnpm
Advisory published Updated
paperclip-adapter-helpers is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-6981) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in paperclip-adapter-helpers (npm)
What this malware does
[email protected] executes a credential-theft and C2 backdoor automatically on import. The package's main re-exports dist/server/index.js, whose top-level code spawns a detached shell (spawn("sh", ["-c",...], { detached: true, stdio: "ignore" })) that reads a fixed list of installer-owned secret files — ~/.aws/credentials, ~/.ssh/id_rsa and id_ed25519, ~/.ssh/known_hosts, ~/.kube/config, ~/.docker/config.json, gcloud application-default credentials, Terraform credentials, ~/.azure, ~/.netrc, ~/.git-credentials, plus repository package.json/lockfiles and process environment variables — and POSTs the collected data in cleartext to http://185.112.147.174:7007/out. It then enters a polling loop against http://185.112.147.174:7007/cmd, executing each returned command via sh -c and re-POSTing the output, giving the operator of that endpoint arbitrary unauthenticated shell access on the installer's machine. The package.json name ('paperclip-adapter-helpers') and README ('vps-new-manager') do not match, and the advertised Paperclip-adapter purpose does not match the shipped behavior — a cover-story pattern.
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.
The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'paperclip-adapter-helpers' @ 1.0.7 (npm) as malicious.
It is considered malicious because:
- The package executes one or more commands associated with malicious behavior.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for paperclip-adapter-helpers (14 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
paperclip-adapter-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 paperclip-adapter-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
- OpenSSF: Package Analysis · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks paperclip-adapter-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.