Which versions of setup-codex are malicious?

The following npm versions of setup-codex are flagged malicious: 1.0.0. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate setup-codex if I installed it?

setup-codex 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.

I already installed setup-codex — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If setup-codex 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.

Is setup-codex part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — setup-codex is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-018321 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find setup-codex across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for setup-codex (version 1.0.0).

Malicious package

setup-codexnpm

setup-codex is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-14219) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in setup-codex (npm)

MAL-2026-14219

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

npm uninstall setup-codex

What this malware does

The package's lib/report.js requires child_process, fs, https, and os at the top of the module and constructs an HTTPS POST to a hardcoded destination at hooks.zapier.com (see line 12). The report body includes host identity fields collected via os.hostname() and os.userInfo() (lines 160, 168), the output of execSync() shell commands (line 20), and filesystem reads via fs.readFileSync() (lines 31, 72). The combination of installer-side host identity, shell-command output, and file contents shipped to a hardcoded third-party webhook is the credential- and host-reconnaissance exfiltration shape rather than any documented setup behavior for a legitimate 'codex' helper.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

1.0.0

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

957e8b8d535ccc5e5d7e84e99a51695f7a50a4417bfca5f3582ae2817ca75846

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for setup-codex (version 1.0.0).
If you installed it — respond
setup-codex 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 setup-codex 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

No. setup-codex on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.0.0 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-018321

References

npmjs.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks setup-codex-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

Explore

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