tailwind-corenpm
tailwind-core is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-7026) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 0.0.0, 4.3.0, 4.3.1…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in tailwind-core (npm)
What this malware does
The npm package tailwind-core versions 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 contain remote code execution payloads hidden in the exported Tailwind-style runtime. The package root export reaches code that fingerprints the host, communicates with attacker-controlled Google Apps Script/Drive or Sheets resources, decodes remote instructions, and executes returned code through Function/AsyncFunction constructors. This behavior is unrelated to a Tailwind CSS utility package and exposes consuming projects to remote code execution and host/environment disclosure.
Package name 'tailwind-core' impersonates the legitimate 'tailwindcss' package, using a mimicked monorepo directory ('packages/tailwind-core') and reusing tailwindlabs/tailwindcss CI badges plus links to the real tailwindcss download counts in README. The bundled library entrypoints dist/lib.mjs and dist/lib.js contain a hidden async function invoked from the Tailwind plugin factory that fires when the compiler runs during a build. After a Date.now() gate set to approximately July 2026 (timestamp 17836416e5), the code collects host reconnaissance (os.hostname, os.homedir, os.platform, os.arch, os.cpus().length, os.totalmem), derives a stable equip_id hash, and registers the host with an attacker-controlled Google Apps Script deployment via an 'addNewEquipment' call. It then enters an infinite polling loop that mints Google OAuth access tokens from a hardcoded refresh token and client_id/client_secret embedded in the bundle, retrieves base64+JSON commands from https://script.googleapis.com/v1/scripts/AKfycbyjrAVcSQB2V6XNzgYK8J0gGyx0c_ZpC0y4rFzq1IGUPu7zx7guLszZDVlcsfDzXVz3QA:run, and executes them via new Function(...), yielding arbitrary remote code execution on every installer machine running builds after the activation date. The delayed-activation timestamp gate is a time-bomb designed to evade publish-time scanning.
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 tailwind-core (4 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging tailwind-core across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
tailwind-core 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 tailwind-core 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 tailwind-core 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
- LPM Security Firewall · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks tailwind-core-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.