Malicious code in native-runner (npm)
--- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (c057973da17ec629b4cd8c10a2b74108761f4a9ad4a1a31b280031da1f7139ca) On `require('native-runner')`, a top-level IIFE in index.js polls for up to two minutes for a file at %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\node_runtime_helper.exe and, once present, spawns it via child_process.spawn with {detached:true, windowsHide:true, stdio:'ignore'} and unref's the child, so the process outlives the importing Node process with no visible window and no captured output. This launcher is not part of the package's advertised API (README describes only `runBinary`/`runDetached`) and fires purely as a side effect of import. The staging directory %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows is chosen to resemble a legitimate Windows system location. The manifest declares a single dependency, `img-to-native@^1.0.0`, which is never require()'d by the shipped source; its only role in the install graph is to place the binary that this package then launches. Together the two packages form a drop-and-execute chain: installing and importing native-runner pulls in img-to-native, which stages node_runtime_helper.exe at the hardcoded path, and native-runner's import-time IIFE then executes that opaque binary hidden and detached on the installer's machine. ## Source: ghsa-malware (4eb077250ca4da76df88e49a2c314e67cb58761ae1cbffa1aa7742878d042a44) Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All se
MAL-2026-17218
Primary source · Revision 1
Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.
Security context
Source reference: osv:MAL-2026-17218
native-runner
Source reference: /affected/0/package/name
- Affected versions
- 1.0.0
Source reference:
/affected/0/versions1.0.1Source reference:
/affected/0/versions1.0.3Source reference:
/affected/0/versions1.0.2Source reference:
/affected/0/versions - Fixed versions
- Not stated in this record
- Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
Structured affected-version data
Original package identities and version rules from this source.
[
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "SEMVER",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "native-runner",
"purl": "pkg:npm/native-runner",
"ecosystem": "npm"
},
"versions": [
"1.0.0",
"1.0.1",
"1.0.3",
"1.0.2"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwes": [
{
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
},
{
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
},
{
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
},
{
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
},
{
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
}
],
"source": "https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/native-runner/MAL-2026-17218.json",
"indicators": {
"evidence_files": [
{
"path": "index.js",
"tlsh": "ff11a85a22fb76309032d1909a5fce2e304b91026357e490f88cd2d80f1a33de2b1dec",
"sha256": "f3658f43a1d911eb2a661643a4f011acf0aa1a83b42be9f148260b79f4852176"
},
{
"path": "package.json",
"tlsh": "e5e0ed29c9105a2384e809c81d27468bb2524e0785017c1873ca820cc7ae9af02bd26e",
"sha256": "4e3999b5d7816aa567b1a80e4bec8f3b8c471d5c516bbb686fd4e35e798a900d"
}
]
}
}
}
]Publisher severity
No explicit severity was provided.
- Event
- #33254 · Revision 1
- Added to Heist Feed
- Publisher date