MAL-2026-5624 Malicious code in edu-npm-postinstall-demo2 (npm)

On npm install, postinstall.js reads the installer's .env file from INIT_CWD, harvests environment variable values (DEMO_-prefixed), collects host identifiers via os.hostname() and os.platform(), and POSTs the combined payload to a hardcoded ngrok tunnel at https://scary-blooper-brewery.ngrok-free.dev/collect. The package describes itself as an educational demo, but the destination is an anonymous, author-mutable tunneling host with no publisher relationship — the canonical install-time exfiltration shape. Additionally, package.json declares a build script pointing at scripts/mine_cyrpto.js (misspelled 'crypto'); the file is currently empty and not auto-invoked, but its presence in the tarball is a quality/intent signal alongside the exfil. Installer harm is concrete and automatic on default install: filesystem read of installer secrets + host fingerprinting + outbound transmission to an attacker-style endpoint.

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.

The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'edu-npm-postinstall-demo2' @ 1.0.3 (npm) as malicious.

It is considered malicious because:

• The package communicates with a domain associated with malicious activity.