PhantomRaven: 126 Malicious npm Packages Steal Developer Tokens and Secrets Using Hidden Dependencies

SecurityOnline[.]info reports on PhantomRaven, a supply-chain campaign that injected 126 malicious npm packages, collectively downloaded more than 86,000 times, to steal developer tokens and secrets. The campaign, active since August 2025, concealed its payload in hidden dependencies via Remote Dynamic Dependencies, Fetching code from HTTP URLs rather than the npm registry, and frequently evaded scanners.

Wings risk engine, operated by Koi Security, first flagged unusual network activity in October 2025 when several packages initiated external requests to the same domain during installation, and investigators found 80 of the malicious packages still active, continually harvesting credentials from developers worldwide.

The periodised timeline shows August 2025 as the campaign start with the first 21 packages removed by npm, followed by September–October 2025, when a further 80 packages were uploaded, and October 2025 when the campaign was discovered. The threat actors relied on red-team style operational security but used sequential email accounts tied to usernames such as npmhell and npmpackagejpd, and employed slopsquatting to create AI-validated fake package names that resembled legitimate recommendations.

According to Koi Security, the exfiltration channels included HTTP GET, HTTP POST, and WebSocket, ensuring data could escape even in restricted networks.