# MAL-2026-3755: Malicious code in chalk-utils (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `chalk-utils` (npm)
- **Published:** 14 May 2026

## What is MAL-2026-3755?

MAL-2026-3755 is a malicious package in chalk-utils, published on 14 May 2026. 

### Official description

On `npm install`, postinstall.js runs a credential and cryptocurrency stealer against the installer's machine. It reads ~/.npmrc (extracting _authToken and npm_* tokens), ~/.git-credentials, and ~/.env (extracting values keyed by token/secret/password/api/aws/gcp/stripe patterns), then iterates a hardcoded list of 71 browser extension IDs for major crypto wallets (MetaMask, Phantom, Coinbase Wallet, Exodus, Trust, Binance, OKX, Ledger Live, Trezor, and others) across Chrome/Brave/Edge/Chromium/Vivaldi/Opera profiles, reading each extension's Local Extension Settings LevelDB `.log` files and applying regexes for `vault`, `seed`, `privateKey`, `mnemonic`, `password`, and `encrypted`. It additionally walks ~/Documents, ~/Desktop, and ~/Downloads for filenames matching crypto keywords (seed, backup, wallet, phrase, metamask, phantom, vault, key, private), scores file contents against a BIP-39 word list, and harvests any file with >=8 BIP-39 matches along with a 100-character content preview. Harvested data (plus os.hostname() and os.userInfo().username) is POSTed in cleartext to http://149.28.127.35:8888, a bare-IP C2 endpoint overridable via a `C2_URL` environment variable to support endpoint rotation. The package name `chalk-utils` masquerades as belonging to the `chalk` ecosystem while index.js is a dummy stub whose comment reads `lodash-js — Just a dummy module. The real payload is in postinstall.js`, and postinstall.js self-describes as `Token harvester + Crypto wallet scanner. Runs on npm install. Silent. Zero trace.`

## What should I do about MAL-2026-3755?

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

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
MAL-2026-3755 is a malicious package: chalk-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-2026-3755/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-3755/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-3755

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-3755/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.