MAL-2026-11996 Malicious code in emulative (npm)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-11996 is a malicious package: emulative (npm). Every version was published to cause harm.
Task:
1. Search this repository's dependency manifests and lockfiles for the package, including transitive dependencies.
2. If it is present, remove it, regenerate the lockfile with the project's package manager, and replace whatever it was used for.
3. List any CI runners, developer machines or containers that installed it, so their secrets can be rotated.
4. If the package is not used anywhere, say so and change nothing.
Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-11996/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-11996/index.md)
- Package
- emulative
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-11996?
MAL-2026-11996 is a malicious package in emulative, published on 4 Aug 2026.
Official description
On npm install, the package's preinstall lifecycle hook executes index.js, which collects the installer's hostname, username, home directory path, DNS server configuration, and the contents of /etc/passwd and /etc/hosts, then POSTs the aggregated data over HTTPS to the hardcoded host 0645dqp8k07wcnunrmvn0avyepkg87ww.oastify.com (a Burp Collaborator subdomain). The destination is attacker-controlled and unrelated to any documented package function; the collection and exfiltration fire automatically on default install without any user action.
What should I do about MAL-2026-11996?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.