runtimedev-linknpm
runtimedev-link is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-6948) 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 runtimedev-link (npm)
What this malware does
The package presents itself as "Pure Node.js telemetry for RuntimeDev platform" but implements a full remote-access trojan. The runtimedev-link bin, when invoked with a --token that encodes an apiBase and hash, enters a command loop that polls POST /api/telemetry/poll-command at the operator-supplied base URL and executes any returned command string through /bin/sh (or the Windows shell) via execSync, returning stdout/stderr to /api/telemetry/command-result (transport.js). The same agent handles server-issued directoryScan and downloadRequest operations, zipping arbitrary filesystem paths and uploading them base64-encoded to /api/telemetry/upload-download; every telemetry cycle reports hostname, username, OS info, home-directory tree, Chrome/Edge/Brave extension inventories, and the host's public IP fetched from api.ipify.org. On first run the agent installs cross-platform persistence: a Windows Task Scheduler entry marked <Hidden>true</Hidden> with a LogonTrigger launched via wscript.exe //B against a generated VBS; a macOS LaunchAgent plist with RunAtLoad + KeepAlive; a Linux systemd --user unit with Restart=always plus loginctl enable-linger, falling back to crontab @reboot or XDG autostart. Credentials are staged at ~/.config/runtimedev-link/agent.env. To further evade endpoint visibility, lib/portable_runtime.js downloads a standalone Node.js 22.22.0 tarball from nodejs.org, extracts it into ~/.local/share/runtimedev-link/runtime/, chmods bin/node to 0755, and configures persistence to invoke that private interpreter against a copied agent CLI, decoupling ongoing execution from the user's Node/npm. The exfil/C2 destinations are configurable per token, so any attacker distributing a token targets their own infrastructure; the code paths themselves are unambiguously RAT machinery.
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
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for runtimedev-link (13 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging runtimedev-link across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
runtimedev-link 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 runtimedev-link 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 runtimedev-link 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 runtimedev-link-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.