MAL-2026-12369 Malicious code in elephant-array-utils (npm)

Malicious package Published
Package
elephant-array-utils
Registry
npm

What is MAL-2026-12369?

MAL-2026-12369 is a malicious package in elephant-array-utils, published on 5 Aug 2026.

Official description

index.js is a heavily obfuscated (obfuscator.io: rotated string array + RC4 decoder, control-flow flattening, hex literals) top-level IIFE with no functionality matching the advertised 'array utils' purpose. On require(), it constructs a hardcoded IPv4 address by concatenating four numeric literals, performs an https.get against that host, splits the response on ':' to obtain an IV and ciphertext, decrypts the payload with createDecipheriv using a Buffer-keyed cipher, writes the plaintext to a file under the current working directory, and executes it via child_process.exec with windowsHide:true. This is a canonical remote-payload dropper: any installer that requires the package hands arbitrary-code-execution to whoever controls the hardcoded IP. The obfuscation layer exists to hide the exfil/dropper URL, decryption key and command from static inspection. The generic package name is consistent with a typosquat lure.

What should I do about MAL-2026-12369?

Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.

Sources

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