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Malicious package

tanksyncnpm

Advisory published Updated

tanksync is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17209) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in tanksync (npm)

MAL-2026-17209
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall tanksync

What this malware does

The package's advertised API downloads a JavaScript file over HTTPS and executes it via spawn('node', [payloadPath], {detached: true}).unref(), leaving the worker running after client.close(). The default fetch target is hardcoded to https://api.helloworld.com/api/realtime-data?key=abc, which is a placeholder-shaped host that does not match the publisher's declared domain (spawnrealm.com). The purported integrity check computes HMAC-SHA256 using a symmetric key ('tanksync-secret-key') baked into the shipped source, so any party who reads the package can produce a valid signature for arbitrary payloads; the default expected signature is the placeholder 'abc123def456'. The trigger is a user-invoked API call rather than an install or import lifecycle hook, but fetching and executing arbitrary remote JavaScript is the package's entire declared purpose, and the detached worker continues running after the client is closed.

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

9 flagged
1.0.01.0.11.0.21.0.31.0.41.0.51.0.61.0.71.0.8

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
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Detection & response playbook

Malicious package
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for tanksync (9 malicious versions).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    Remove tanksync 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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If tanksync 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. tanksync on npm has been identified as a malicious package (versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, and 1 more flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

GHSA-47j4-w95p-wjp7IN-MAL-2026-020604IN-MAL-2026-020695IN-MAL-2026-020712IN-MAL-2026-020717IN-MAL-2026-020713IN-MAL-2026-020711IN-MAL-2026-020714IN-MAL-2026-020715IN-MAL-2026-020716

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks tanksync-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.

Explore

tanksync (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-17209 | O3 Security