self-signnpm
Advisory published Updated
self-sign is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-14544) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 5.6.1, 5.6.2, 5.6.3…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in self-sign (npm)
What this malware does
The exported generate() function in [email protected] accepts an undocumented third defaults parameter. When passed a string, the code strips PEM -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- headers, base64-decodes the remaining body, and passes the result to eval() inside a silent try/catch. The TypeScript declaration file advertises only two parameters, concealing the sink, while the shipped README examples pass a third argument (null), normalising the call shape so downstream callers can be induced to propagate attacker-controllable certificate-shaped strings into the eval sink. A cryptographic/x509 helper has no legitimate reason to evaluate base64 content extracted from a certificate string; this pattern yields arbitrary JavaScript execution in the process of any consumer that reaches this code path with attacker-influenced input. The package.json name (self-sign) also diverges from the require identifier used in the shipped documentation (require('selfsign')), a naming inconsistency that supports confusion with the legitimate selfsigned library.
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 self-sign (9 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
Remove self-sign 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 self-sign 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 self-sign-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.