The aclade-agent npm package operates a daemon that continuously polls https://aclade.com/api/connector/poll for task objects. These tasks allow execution of arbitrary shell commands via child_process.spawn with shell:true, arbitrary filesystem read/write/replace operations, recursive directory listings, grep searches, and scheduling of cron jobs that persist across reboots. All task parameters come directly from the remote server, effectively granting it full remote code execution and filesystem control on the host. Additionally, the daemon polls the npm registry hourly for new versions of aclade-agent and automatically installs and restarts itself with the latest version, enabling automatic deployment of any future malicious updates. The package is typically installed globally with sudo/PM2, meaning it runs with elevated privileges, increasing the severity of the threat.

Hosts running aclade-agent are fully compromised, as the remote server can execute arbitrary code, manipulate any files, and maintain persistent access via scheduled cron jobs. The automatic update mechanism allows the attacker to push new malicious versions that will be installed and executed with elevated privileges without user intervention. This results in complete remote control and persistent compromise of affected systems.

No official patch or remediation is currently documented. Due to the nature of the package, immediate removal of aclade-agent from all systems is recommended to eliminate the risk. Avoid installing or running this package, especially with elevated privileges. Monitor for any instances of aclade-agent running and uninstall it. Since the package auto-updates from the npm registry, blocking network access to the npm registry or aclade.com endpoints may mitigate further compromise. Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory or npm security advisories for updates.