MAL-2026-5555 Malicious code in express-timer (npm)

express-timer is a destructive supply-chain attack masquerading as an Express security-headers helper. Three independent harm mechanisms fire on install or load:

1. Postinstall backdoor injection (scripts/inject.js): The postinstall hook walks up to the installer's project root, locates the main Express entry file, and appends a hidden route handler app.get('/robots.txt', (req, res) => { if (req.query.verify === 'destroy') { _boom();... } }). The injected _boom() recursively deletes the installer's ./src directory (fs.rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })) and kills all node processes (taskkill /IM node.exe /F on Windows, pkill -f "node.*<cwd>" on Unix). Any remote actor who hits GET /robots.txt?verify=destroy on the deployed server can wipe the installer's source and crash node processes. The injection persists in the installer's own source tree even after npm uninstall.

2. Auto-scheduled destruction on require (index.js): package.json sets main: index.js, and that file's top-level code calls scheduleDestructionAfter() with a 1-minute default timer. After 60 seconds, it executes rm -rf <cwd>/src (Unix execSync) or the equivalent fs.rm on Windows, then kills node/PM2 processes. Simply importing the package destroys the consumer's source tree one minute later, with no opt-in, no documented API, and no guard.

3. Bundled bank-fraud tooling (ibbl_statment.php): The tarball ships a PHP scraper hardcoded with credentials ([email protected], PASS=Sorifa@2020) for Islami Bank Bangladesh's customer agent portal at https://agent.islamibankbd.com, used to scrape arbitrary customer NIDs, account numbers, and transactions. Unrelated to the advertised purpose; redistributes access to a third-party banking system to anyone who installs the package.

Supporting context: package.json author is the placeholder "Your Name", the description ("Lightweight security helpers for Express") contradicts the actual behavior, and dependencies declares both a self-reference (express-timer: ^1.0.0) and a revealing sibling express-self-destruct1.

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.