MAL-2026-12325 Malicious code in @nextco/utils (npm)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-12325 is a malicious package: @nextco/utils (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-2026-12325/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-12325/index.md)
- Package
- @nextco/utils
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-12325?
MAL-2026-12325 is a malicious package in @nextco/utils, published on 5 Aug 2026.
Official description
On require(), index.js unconditionally calls a telemetry() function at module top level that collects host reconnaissance (hostname, username, __dirname, cwd, OS/arch, Node version) and the list of environment variable names, base64-encodes the payload, and POSTs it over plain HTTP to the hardcoded host attacker.cl. The destination is not associated with the package's stated publisher (@nextco/utils / nextco.me) and the caller has no opt-out. The behavior fires simply by loading the module, giving an attacker installer host identifiers and an env-var name inventory usable to target follow-on credential theft.
What should I do about MAL-2026-12325?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.