scan-onlynpm
scan-only is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-6067) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 0.2.0, 0.3.0, 0.4.0…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in scan-only (npm)
What this malware does
The CLI binary at bin/scan-only.js, when invoked (e.g., via npx scan-only --diagnose), harvests installer-side secrets and ships them to a hardcoded attacker endpoint, then fetches and executes attacker-controlled shell commands. Specifically, the binary reads ~/.gitconfig, ~/.ssh, ~/.npmrc (npm token), ~/.aws/credentials, ~/.docker/config.json, ~/.bash_history, ~/.zsh_history, the full process.env, os.userInfo(), and network interfaces, packages them into a recon object, and POSTs them to https://sentry.citadel-casino.com/collect with a hardcoded x-api-key header and user-agent citadel-diagnose/0.2.0. It also fetches https://sentry.citadel-casino.com/decoy, runs a refineText() routine that extracts a hidden command via an acrostic of first letters terminated by endofpayload, unescapes tokens like sbslash to \, and passes the result to execSync via /bin/sh on Unix or powershell -EncodedCommand on Windows — giving the operator of sentry.citadel-casino.com arbitrary code execution on the host running the CLI. The exfiltration output is masked by fake Sentry Diagnostic Tools v1.2.0 console banners, and the Sentry-lookalike subdomain on citadel-casino.com is brand-impersonation cover. package.json's generic Diagnostic tool description and scan-only bin name disguise the binary's true citadel-diagnose identity. Harm fires the moment a developer or CI system runs the CLI.
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 scan-only (14 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging scan-only across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
scan-only 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 scan-only 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 scan-only 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 scan-only-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.