randompkganpm
Advisory published Updated
randompkga is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-16255) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in randompkga (npm)
What this malware does
package.json declares a postinstall lifecycle script cd "$INIT_CWD" && npm i randompkgb that, on npm install, installs the additional npm package randompkgb into the consumer's project. A companion postinstall.js reads the installer's own package.json at $INIT_CWD, sets dependencies.randompkgb = "^1.0.0", and writes the manifest back to disk, persisting the injected dependency across future installs and CI runs. The caret range is unpinned, so any current or future version of randompkgb — whose code is not present in this package and is not controlled by the installer — will be resolved and executed on the installer's machine at install time and on require. This is dependency-tree hijacking: the mechanism drops attacker-controlled third-party code into the installer's environment and rewrites source-controlled project state to make the injection durable.
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
Malicious packageFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for randompkga (22 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
Remove randompkga from your project and lockfile, then assume any secrets accessible to the build or runtime were exposed: rotate API keys, tokens, and credentials, and audit for unexpected outbound activity or persistence.
Did it already run?
If randompkga 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 randompkga-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the malicious outbound activity and severs the channel.