MAL-2026-17235 Malicious code in items-validator (npm)
- Package
- items-validator
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-17235?
MAL-2026-17235 is a malicious package in items-validator, published on 28 Sep 2026.
Official description
On require, index.js invokes initializeDaemon() at top level, which uses spawn('node', [lib/check-items.js], { detached: true, stdio: 'ignore' }) followed by child.unref() to launch a persistent background process independent of the parent. The daemon HTTP-GETs a JSON payload from the hardcoded endpoint https://game.spawnrealm.com/api/item-realtime?key=abcdef123456 and passes payload.code to new Function('require', 'module', payload.code), executing server-supplied JavaScript inside the installer's Node process with full require access. An RSA signature check is performed against a public key bundled in the package (crypto-config.js), so the author controls both the signing key and the verifier and the check provides no independent integrity guarantee. Anyone controlling game.spawnrealm.com — including via DNS or TLS — can run arbitrary code as the installing user for the lifetime of the host process. The package is advertised as a validator library, and this remote-code-loader behavior is undisclosed and unrelated to the stated purpose.
Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.
What should I do about MAL-2026-17235?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-rpgc-c7g7-g8fh.