OpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-15664 confirms this npm version as malicious. At npm install time, @yane88/workbuddy@1.0.1's postinstall script pulls three sibling npm packages (@yane88/workbuddy-01, -02, -03), each shipping a PKWARE split-zip volume (.z01/.z02/.zip), concatenates them into a multi-volume ZIP, inflates the contents, and writes WorkBuddy-5.3.5.exe into the package directory with chmod applied...
Source
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV
Summary
Malicious code in @yane88/workbuddy (npm)
Details
At npm install time, @yane88/workbuddy@1.0.1's postinstall script pulls three sibling npm packages (@yane88/workbuddy-01, -02, -03), each shipping a PKWARE split-zip volume (.z01/.z02/.zip), concatenates them into a multi-volume ZIP, inflates the contents, and writes WorkBuddy-5.3.5.exe into the package directory with chmod applied. The payload bytes are distributed across separate npm packages rather than shipped in this package's own tarball, there is no hash or signature verification of the reassembled archive, and no README or metadata describes what the executable does or why splitting across packages is necessary. Splitting a Windows PE across multiple sibling packages and reassembling it at install time is a delivery/staging pattern for opaque binary payloads and is not a standard native-addon or prebuild-install workflow.
## Source: ghsa-malware (4375d4bea3b8be81239cf8af942cafe012039acfc57c4191ff3bcd639b5d1508) 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.
Decision reason
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV confirms @yane88/workbuddy@1.0.2 as malicious (MAL-2026-15664): Malicious code in @yane88/workbuddy (npm)