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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →There is no single check that proves an npm package is safe. Reduce risk by verifying the package name and release context, checking provenance and signatures when available, protecting maintainer publishing access, and reviewing dependency changes over time. npm also scans packages and investigates reports, but registry detection is not a guarantee that every malicious release will be caught before use.
How malicious npm packages reach projects
npm describes several paths that can affect either package maintainers or consumers:
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- Account takeover: An attacker gains access to a maintainer account and can publish a release under the package’s identity.
- Typosquatting: A similarly named package may catch someone who mistypes a name or mistakes one package for another.
- Dependency confusion: An attacker publishes a public package using the name of an organization’s private package, potentially causing a project to install the wrong one. npm recommends scoped packages to reduce this risk and says its system, as described in its documentation, cannot detect dependency-confusion attacks.
- A compromised or abused existing package: A later release may introduce malicious behavior even if earlier versions were legitimate.
These paths call for more than a one-time decision about whether a package looks trustworthy: maintainers need to protect publishing access, while consumers need to review package identity and changes over time.
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Account controls reduce the chance that an attacker can publish through a maintainer’s account. They do not inspect package contents or certify that code is benign.
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Enable two-factor authentication
npm recommends two-factor authentication (2FA) for maintainer accounts and describes security keys as its strongest 2FA option; YubiKey is one example. Authenticator apps are another supported option. Choose an approach maintainers can use reliably, and make sure the account’s recovery process is understood.
Review who and what can publish
Check collaborator access, package-level publishing requirements, and the scope of any granular access tokens. npm documents publishing with either 2FA or a granular token configured with 2FA bypass enabled. Package settings can require 2FA and disallow tokens. That token option makes token policy an important part of account security: a maintainer should know which credentials can publish and limit their access accordingly.
Compare publishing approaches
| Approach | Credential model | Supported environment and requirements | Provenance and approval considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional publishing | npm documents publishing with 2FA or a granular token with 2FA bypass enabled. | Not specified in the cited npm guidance for this comparison. | Not specified as an automatic outcome in the cited guidance. |
| Trusted publishing with OIDC | For supported CI workflows, avoids long-lived npm publishing tokens. | npm lists GitHub Actions on GitHub-hosted runners, GitLab CI/CD on GitLab.com shared runners, and CircleCI cloud. The documented minimums are npm CLI 11.5.1 and Node.js 22.14.0; self-hosted runners are not currently supported. | GitHub Actions and GitLab CI/CD generate provenance automatically only under specified conditions, including a public repository and public package. CircleCI trusted publishing does not currently generate provenance. npm also documents stage-only publishing, which lets a maintainer review and approve a staged release with 2FA before it becomes public. |
Provider support, runner availability, and version requirements can change; check npm’s current trusted-publishing documentation before changing a release pipeline. OIDC changes how publishing credentials are supplied, but it does not establish that the published code is safe. Stage-only publishing adds an approval gate; it is not a malware detector.
Vet a package before adding or updating it
Use these checks as a practical review process. They complement, rather than replace, your team’s normal code review and testing.
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- Confirm the exact package name and scope. Compare the name you intend to install with the project’s source or internal dependency record. Look carefully for spelling differences and names that resemble a familiar package. If the dependency is meant to be private, use a scoped package and ensure the project resolves the intended private name rather than a public look-alike.
- Review the publisher and release context. Compare package ownership, its repository, release timing, and the changes from the previous version. Treat an unexpected publisher change or an unexplained release as a reason to investigate, not as proof of malicious activity. This is a practical review recommendation based on the documented risk of malicious changes to existing packages.
- Inspect provenance when it is available. npm provenance can expose information about the build environment, workflow run, source commit, build file, and transparency-log entry. Check whether the repository and commit make sense for the package and release. Provenance may not be established if the source repository is deleted or private, and its presence is evidence about origin and build context—not a universal safety stamp.
- Verify signatures and attestations. After installing dependencies, run
npm audit signatureswith npm CLI 9.5.0 or later. npm says invalid or missing signatures or attestations produce an error. Investigate that result; it is a warning signal, not proof of a particular attack. - Review dependency and build changes continuously. Include lockfile changes, dependency updates, and relevant build activity in the team’s ordinary change-review process. A package that seemed acceptable at first can change later, so avoid treating initial vetting as permanent approval.
What npm’s own detection does—and does not—tell you
npm says it detects and blocks typosquat attacks, scans packages for known malicious content, and executes packages to look for new patterns of potentially malicious behavior. It also says its Trust and Safety team checks user reports and that detection services are updated as new examples emerge.
These are registry-side defenses. They do not remove the need to check package identity, inspect available evidence, and review changes in your own project. In particular, npm says its system cannot detect dependency-confusion attacks, and the documented scanning process is not a guarantee that every malicious package will be identified before installation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Report suspected malware to npm
If a package appears to perform malicious actions, send npm a report with enough detail to investigate:
- The package name and affected version or versions.
- A description of the observed effects.
- Supporting references, such as relevant commits or code examples.
npm says it validates reports and, when malware is confirmed, removes the package, publishes a security placeholder, and issues an advisory. It may also assess whether the uploader’s account should be banned and may cooperate with third parties.
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Malware reports are different from vulnerability reports. npm directs reports about vulnerabilities in packages to the package maintainers and says they should be disclosed privately.
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