CrowdStrike Reports Self-Propagating Sandworm_Mode Malware Targeting AI Development Tools and Software Supply Chains

CrowdStrike published research on SANDWORM_MODE, a multi-stage npm supply chain worm first identified by Socket.dev in February that spans 19 malicious packages across two publisher aliases 1. The worm fingerprints compromised systems to distinguish developer workstations from CI runners, harvests npm tokens, environment secrets and cryptocurrency wallet keys, and deploys a rogue MCP server that registers itself as a trusted tool provider in Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code and Windsurf configuration files to exfiltrate credentials through AI assistants 1. It propagates via stolen npm and GitHub API tokens or SSH fallback, harvests API keys for nine LLM providers, and executes a destructive fallback that shreds writable user files if propagation and exfiltration both fail 1. CrowdStrike deployed 65% of the detection candidates it developed against the malware; the remainder were deemed infeasible given current telemetry constraints 2. CrowdStrike SVP Adam Meyers told CyberScoop the firm has not determined attribution and does not believe TeamPCP is responsible; CrowdStrike continues observing recently active supply-chain packages following similar but technically divergent patterns 3.