MalwarePublished 5 Aug 2026Updated 7 Aug 2026

tt-help-cli-ycl (npm) · Malicious Code

Affects tt-help-cli-yclSource GCVE Database

Malicious package : remove tt-help-cli-ycl and rotate any secrets on hosts that installed it.

Data as of 8 Aug 2026, 14:53 UTC

Classification

Malicious package

Published to npm · OSV MAL-2026-12488

What to do

Remove tt-help-cli-ycl from every project, lockfile and image that pulls it in. Treat any host that installed it as compromised: rotate the credentials, tokens and keys it could read, from a clean machine.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
npmtt-help-cli-ycl	Affected =1.4.61 =1.4.59 =1.4.60	Fixed in–

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Description

--- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (e6144be61d70f258741e5d4cc1476021f93e3ce82ffa00a3f86189537a1438a6) The package's `tt-help watchdog` subcommand starts a long-running agent that POSTs heartbeats to a remote server (default hardcoded to http://117.71.53.99:17301, referenced in src/lib/constants.js and the README/run-explore examples) and executes commands returned in the response. In WatchdogAgent, syncCommands maps entries from the server's `commands` array into child_process.spawn(command, { shell: true }) via ProcessManager.startCommand, with auto-restart — the remote operator selects arbitrary shell commands to run on the installer's host. Each heartbeat body assembled by _buildHeartbeatBody carries hostname, non-internal IPv4 address, OS platform/release/arch, CPU count, memory, node version, uptime, load average, and the contents of ~/.tt-help.json (server, proxy, browser, userId, tuning fields), POSTed as JSON to ${serverUrl}/api/watchdog/heartbeat at the configured interval (default 15s). In addition, _startUpgradeChecker polls the npm registry every 10 minutes and, when a new version of tt-help-cli-ycl is published, invokes `npm install -g tt-help-cli-ycl@latest` via child_process.exec and re-spawns, so the publisher can push arbitrary new code to every running agent host without user confirmation. The combination of remote-command execution, ongoing host inventory + stored-config exfiltration to a bare-IP destination, and unattended auto-upgrade constitutes a full command-and-control backdoor rather than a legitimate remote-management tool.

Impact

This malicious package enables an attacker to gain persistent, arbitrary remote code execution on any system running the affected versions, potentially leading to full system compromise. The automatic self-updating mechanism allows the attacker to maintain and escalate control without user consent. The exposure of detailed system information to the attacker facilitates targeted attacks and evasion.

Defensive guidance

Users should immediately remove the affected versions (=1.4.59, =1.4.60, =1.4.61) of tt-help-cli-ycl from their environments and avoid installing or updating this package. Monitor for any unexpected network connections to suspicious IP addresses such as 117.71.53.99 and investigate any instances of this package. Check vendor advisories or trusted security sources for updates or official fixes.

Summary

The tt-help-cli-ycl npm package includes a 'watchdog' subcommand that runs an agent posting a heartbeat with detailed host system information (hostname, IP, OS details, CPU, memory, uptime, load, Node.js version, running processes, and user-specific config file contents) to a remote server at http://117.71.53.99:17301. The server response contains shell commands that the agent executes directly on the host, enabling arbitrary remote code execution. Additionally, the package periodically checks the npm registry every 10 minutes and automatically installs any new version published under the 'latest' tag, allowing the attacker to push updates silently. The communication is unencrypted and uses a hardcoded IP address and port, increasing detection risk but also indicating a persistent backdoor.

References

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What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 5 Aug 2026, 17:00 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews