timed-assessnpm
timed-assess is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-14216) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in timed-assess (npm)
What this malware does
package.json declares postinstall: node apps, which loads apps/index.js. The script reads a bundled file, decrypts it with hardcoded DES key 'bf497c0b9cee' (CryptoJS.DES.decrypt), and pipes the resulting plaintext into the stdin of a detached spawn('node', [], { detached: true, stdio: ['pipe','ignore','ignore'] }) process. Identifiers such as readLogoIco and rsa_exec and log strings like 'ThetaSDK initialization error' are mislabeled and unrelated to the code's actual behavior of running arbitrary JavaScript. The detached stdio-ignore configuration suppresses output from the installer. This chain executes attacker-controlled JavaScript on the installer's host automatically on npm install.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Malicious packageFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for timed-assess (2 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging timed-assess across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
Remove timed-assess 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 timed-assess 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 timed-assess 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 timed-assess-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.