OpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-5758 confirms this npm version as malicious. On install, package.json runs `postinstall: node run.js`, which loads beacon scripts (beacon8.js, beacon_linux.js) that import child_process, os, and http, gather host identity (output of `whoami`, `os.hostname()`, `os.platform()`), and POST the collected data to a hardcoded HTTP endpoint via `http.request(...)`...
Source
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV
Summary
Malicious code in npm-sandbox-research-8b2f (npm)
Details
On install, package.json runs `postinstall: node run.js`, which loads beacon scripts (beacon8.js, beacon_linux.js) that import child_process, os, and http, gather host identity (output of `whoami`, `os.hostname()`, `os.platform()`), and POST the collected data to a hardcoded HTTP endpoint via `http.request(...)`. This fires automatically on `npm install`, providing attacker-controlled reconnaissance of every installer host with no user interaction. The behavior — privileged shell command execution, host identity collection, and outbound HTTP POST from a postinstall hook — matches the active-attack reconnaissance/beacon fingerprint.
## Source: ghsa-malware (30f473a2eba781c3fd87e44a9c46c42a814b565ff2ff35ccb3f435e5975cac76) 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 npm-sandbox-research-8b2f@1.0.0 as malicious (MAL-2026-5758): Malicious code in npm-sandbox-research-8b2f (npm)