Malicious code in saaa9 (npm)
The npm package saaa9 contained malicious code disguised as a system configuration tool. The package executed a covert Windows surveillance overlay that captured keyboard input, clipboard data, screenshots, and on-screen text, exfiltrating the data to a hardcoded endpoint.
- Disclosed
- Last updated
- Blast radius
- Any Windows system that installed and executed the saaa9 package
- Ecosystems
- Attack vectors
- Affected entities
- saaa9npm package published as 'System binary configuration tool' but containing covert Windows surveillance overlay
The npm package saaa9 was published with misleading metadata claiming to be a 'System binary configuration tool,' but contained a covert Windows surveillance overlay. Upon execution, the package's index.js spawned wscript.exe against a bundled VBS script that escalated privileges to run cmd.exe silently as administrator.
The malicious payload (pointer.py) registered global keyboard hotkeys and, when triggered, captured clipboard contents, took screenshots of desktop regions, and extracted on-screen text using IAccessible2/UIAutomation APIs. All collected data was exfiltrated via HTTPS POST requests to the hardcoded endpoint https://iq-overlay-pointer.vercel.app/api. Server responses were automatically typed or pasted into the active window using pyautogui.
The package included logic to silently install Python if not present, using either winget or downloading python-3.12.3-amd64.exe from python.org to %TEMP%. The tkinter UI was deliberately concealed using techniques such as overrideredirect, empty title, transparent color, and alpha 0.75, with code comments labeled 'HACK 1/2' confirming intentional stealth design.
The incident was identified and credited to the OpenSSF malicious-packages project via Amazon Inspector.
Indicators of compromise
- Packages
- saaa9
- Domains
- iq-overlay-pointer.vercel.app
Remediation
- Immediately uninstall the saaa9 package from all systems
- Audit npm package.json and node_modules for any presence of saaa9
- If saaa9 was executed on Windows systems, assume keyboard input, clipboard, and screenshots may have been captured; change all passwords and sensitive credentials from a clean system
- Review network logs for any outbound HTTPS connections to iq-overlay-pointer.vercel.app
- Scan affected systems for persistence mechanisms and unauthorized Python installations
- Update npm to the latest version and run 'npm audit' to identify other potentially compromised dependencies
Sources
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-xqfm-2325-5r47 · GitHub Advisory Database
Cite this entry
"Malicious code in saaa9 (npm)." supplychainattack.org, Supply Chain Attack Incident Catalog. Disclosed August 19, 2026; last updated August 19, 2026. https://supplychainattack.org/incident/malicious-code-in-saaa9-npm-11lb2i
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