MAL-2026-17332 Malicious code in runhelper (npm)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-17332 is a malicious package: runhelper (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-2026-17332/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17332/index.md)
- Package
- runhelper
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-17332?
MAL-2026-17332 is a malicious package in runhelper, published on 30 Sep 2026.
Official description
On
require('runhelper'), index.js unconditionally loads a payload file staged by its dependency imgbundle at cdn-img-fetch/.runtime/rt.jpg, allocates executable memory via kernel32 VirtualAlloc with PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE (0x40) and MEM_COMMIT|MEM_RESERVE (0x3000) through the koffi FFI, copies the file bytes with RtlMoveMemory, and executes them with CreateThread. The payload file is deleted after launch, and an fs.watch waits for it if not yet present. The .jpg extension in a hidden .runtime directory disguises an executable payload, and all errors are swallowed with empty catch (_) {} blocks. The advertised exec() spawn wrapper described in the README is a cover story: the module's top-level behavior on load is native shellcode execution. The manifest pins imgbundle@^1.0.0 (payload source) and koffi@^2.8.0 (FFI used to run it); the loader/payload split means anything that transitively requires runhelper on Windows fetches and executes attacker-supplied native code in-process.What should I do about MAL-2026-17332?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.