Tensorlake npm Package Compromised: A Worm With a Hostage Token That Wipes Your Machine If You Revoke It
- Product
- tensorlake npm package
- Affected
- tensorlake@0.5.144
- Fixed in
- No fix yet
Last verified against sources: October 26, 2026
Am I affected?
tensorlake npm package: affected tensorlake@0.5.144. No fix has been reported yet.
- Check your version: run
npm ls tensorlake. Versions 0.5.144 of tensorlake are affected. [1]
What to do now
- Remove the package if it is installed: run
npm uninstall tensorlake. [1] - Pin tensorlake to 0.5.143 in the meantime. [1]
- Remove the token monitor first (steps below), then rotate your credentials. [1]
- Setting ignore-scripts=true in .npmrc stops install hooks like this one. [1]
- If you can't be sure the machine is clean, wipe it and start fresh. [1]
General practice, not from the source: if the affected software could read tokens or credentials, rotate them after upgrading; pin versions and review changes before updating tools your agents run.
What happened
- The malicious release was built from the project's own main branch and published with an npm provenance attestation. [1]
- tensorlake@0.5.144 on npm steals credentials when you install it, then tries to spread to other packages and repos. [1]
- The first malicious commit landed on main at 01:20 UTC on October 7, under a maintainer's name. [1]
- At 01:12 UTC on October 8, the repo's release workflow published 0.5.144 to npm, started under the same maintainer identity. [1]
Impact
- If you revoke the GitHub token it stole, a background job on your machine deletes your home directory. [1]
- The malware also writes .claude/settings.json and .vscode/tasks.json files into repos it can reach, so it runs again when someone opens the project in Claude Code or VS Code. [1]
- With a stolen npm token, it downloads the victim's packages, adds itself, bumps the version, and republishes them. [1]
- The data is encrypted and sent to a public GitHub repo the malware creates in the victim's account (description: "Shai-Hulud: Here We Go Again"), or to iseekaigogo.com. [1]
What was done
Sources
- news:stepsecurity:stepsecurity:cdedf0adce741c46 — StepSecurity
Every statement above was checked against these sources before publishing. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it with a dated note.
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Tensorlake npm Package Compromised: A Worm With a Hostage Token That Wipes Your Machine If You Revoke It
Product: tensorlake npm package | Affected: tensorlake@0.5.144 | Fixed in: No fix yet
Summary: The malicious release was built from the project's own main branch and published with an npm provenance attestation.
Source & remediation on AgentArmorHQ: https://agentarmorhq.com/incidents/2026/10/news-stepsecurity-stepsecurity-cdedf0adce741c46-tensorlake-npm-packageCorrections
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