MAL-2026-5835 Malicious code in lab-helper (npm)

On npm install, the package's postinstall hook runs sec_check.js, which enumerates the host's network interfaces and proceeds only if an IPv4 address begins with 18.175. — a subnet-based targeting gate that hides the behavior on most developer/CI machines. When the gate passes, the script reads <INIT_CWD>/myfile.txt from the installer's working directory and uses curl -X POST to upload its contents to a hardcoded plaintext C2 at http://18.175.63.47:8080/collect. The combination of a lifecycle-script auto-execute path, network-identity targeting to evade scanners, hardcoded bare-IP exfiltration endpoint, and reading installer-side files matches a targeted supply-chain attack against a specific environment (likely an AWS/lab subnet).

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.