MAL-2026-12029 Malicious code in sextant-cli-linux-amd64 (npm)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-12029 is a malicious package: sextant-cli-linux-amd64 (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-2026-12029/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-12029/index.md)
- Package
- sextant-cli-linux-amd64
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-12029?
MAL-2026-12029 is a malicious package in sextant-cli-linux-amd64, published on 5 Aug 2026.
Official description
sextant-cli-linux-amd64 ships a Linux amd64 Go binary that, on execution, connects to a hardcoded WebRTC signaling relay at wss://relay.sextant.top and exposes a local interactive shell to a remote controller. The binary uses creack/pty and exec.Command to spawn /bin/bash, /bin/sh, or /bin/zsh under a PTY and forwards stdio through WebRTC data channels, giving a remote party on the sextant.top relay a full interactive shell on the installer's host. The binary also contacts http://ip-api.com/json/ over cleartext HTTP to collect the host's public IP and geolocation and reports it back through the same control channel. Embedded strings referencing /etc/systemd and 'sextantsystemdbootoutdefault.claudekey' indicate a subcommand that installs the agent as a systemd unit for boot persistence. package.json's license URL points to https://github.com/ddos798/claude_control, and the binary internally references 'claude_control' and api.anthropic.com, consistent with a tool designed to remotely pilot the installer's host and Claude Code sessions. Regardless of the tool's advertised purpose, a network-sourced controller driving a PTY on the installer's machine, with systemd persistence support and host reconnaissance to a third-party geolocation service, constitutes a persistent remote backdoor into the installer host.
What should I do about MAL-2026-12029?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.