# MAL-2026-6790: Malicious code in debugcli (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `debugcli` (npm)
- **Published:** 3 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-86fh-6m37-f9v4

## What is MAL-2026-6790?

MAL-2026-6790 is a malicious package in debugcli, published on 3 Jul 2026. 

### Official description

The package name `debugcli` shadows the popular `debug` package, and `index.js` is a thin re-export (`module.exports = require('debug')`) so callers observe legitimate behavior. The real payload runs via `"postinstall": "node install.js"` in package.json. On install, `install.js` performs: (1) bulk credential-file harvest — reads `~/.aws/credentials`, `~/.aws/config`, `~/.npmrc`, `~/.ssh/config`, `~/.pypirc`, `~/.netrc`, `~/.docker/config.json`, `~/.kube/config`, gcloud application_default_credentials, `.git-credentials`, Azure tokens, composer auth, and walks the current working directory upward collecting `.env`, `.env.local`, `.env.production`, `.env.development`; (2) process.env scraping — iterates `process.env` and filters keys matching TOKEN/SECRET/PASSWORD/API_KEY/AUTH/PRIVATE/AWS_*/GITHUB_*/NPM_*/OPENAI/ANTHROPIC/DATABASE_URL/STRIPE/TWILIO patterns; (3) browser wallet theft — locates Chrome extension Local Extension Settings for MetaMask (extension id `nkbihfbeogaeaoehlefnkodbecgpgknn`) and TrustWallet (`egjidjbpglichdcondbcbdnbeeppgdph`) and archives the vault directories via `powershell Compress-Archive` on Windows or `tar czf... --exclude=LOCK` on Unix; (4) exfiltration — POSTs collected env vars, credential files,.env contents, and wallet archives to `api.telegram.org/bot<token>/sendMessage` and `/sendDocument`, with the bot token and chat_id stored as XOR-encoded byte arrays (`ENC_TOKEN`, `ENC_CHAT`) decoded at runtime using the current lodash package version fetched from `registry.npmjs.org/lodash` dist-tags.latest as the XOR key; (5) evasion — `isSandbox()` checks CPU/RAM, hostname regex (`sandbox|malware|virus|sample|cuckoo|any.run|hybrid`), analysis env vars, and HOME directory age, and skips execution on analysis machines; a per-machine hashed lockfile prevents re-execution within 24h; and finally `fs.unlinkSync(__filename)` removes install.js after exfil.

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 'debugcli' @ 4.3.9 (npm) as malicious.

It is considered malicious because:

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

## What should I do about MAL-2026-6790?

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-2026-6790 is a malicious package: debugcli (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-2026-6790/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-6790/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-6790

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-6790/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.