OpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-4617 confirms this npm version as malicious. On `npm install`, the package's `postinstall` script runs a shell pipeline that reads the Kubernetes service-account token from `/var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token` (truncated to 200 bytes), the pod namespace file, the first 20 sorted environment variables, and host fingerprinting data (`id`, `hostname`, `uname -a`, `ip addr`, `/etc/os-release`, `mount`, `/proc/1/status`, `/proc/1/cgroup`), emitting...
Source
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV
Summary
Malicious code in n8n-nodes-pentest-rce (npm)
Details
On `npm install`, the package's `postinstall` script runs a shell pipeline that reads the Kubernetes service-account token from `/var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token` (truncated to 200 bytes), the pod namespace file, the first 20 sorted environment variables, and host fingerprinting data (`id`, `hostname`, `uname -a`, `ip addr`, `/etc/os-release`, `mount`, `/proc/1/status`, `/proc/1/cgroup`), emitting them between `=RCE_START=` / `=RCE_END=` markers. In typical n8n custom-node installation contexts (n8n cloud, CI build pipelines, container-image builds), install-time stdout is captured into build logs accessible to the attacker. The advertised node code in `dist/PentestNode.node.js` is a no-op (`return [this.getInputData()]`) and `index.js` exports `{}` — the package provides no functional value to a consumer; the install-time shell payload is the entire purpose. The package self-identifies as a 'pentest proof of concept' for RCE in its name and description. The exfiltrated K8s SA token grants API access to the cluster the installer runs in, and the env-var dump commonly contains cloud-provider credentials.
Decision reason
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV confirms n8n-nodes-pentest-rce@1.0.30 as malicious (MAL-2026-4617): Malicious code in n8n-nodes-pentest-rce (npm)