safe-validatenpm
safe-validate is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-6874) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (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 safe-validate (npm)
What this malware does
The package advertises itself as a zero-dependency TypeScript validation library, but lib/index.js unconditionally requires lib/schema/bootstrap.js at module top level. bootstrap.js stores require and module on the global object, then uses a custom permutation cipher (function YWG with magic constants 2540575/34950/50568/5954865) to decode two large opaque string blobs and invokes them via YWG[OSN] — a deliberately renamed reference to Function.constructor — to construct and execute code, finishing with XZs(7942) and tagging global._V = 'A6-Shadow-14' (a fingerprint associated with a commercial JS protector frequently observed on malicious npm releases). Any consumer that does require('safe-validate') triggers this decode-and-eval at import time with full process privileges and access to environment variables and the filesystem. There is no documented feature in a validation library that requires runtime code generation, and the obfuscation wrapper itself (custom cipher + Function.constructor lookup via scrambled property name + side-effect-only module) is the canonical shape of a hidden payload loader. The package additionally claims to be a republish of the legacy funval library while being authored by an unrelated account (deepthought26, repo schema-checker), consistent with reputation-trading to attract installs and upgrades.
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 safe-validate (4 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging safe-validate across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
safe-validate 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 safe-validate 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 safe-validate 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 safe-validate-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.