@web3-helpers/corenpm
Malicious code in @web3-helpers/core (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
What this malware does
At npm install time the preinstall script (dist/index.min.js) reads installer-owned secrets — ~/.ssh/id_rsa, ~/.env, ~/.env.local, ~/.wallet.json — and iterates process.env for keys matching PRIVATE_, MNEMONIC, and SECRET*. Extracted content is scanned for 64-hex and WIF private keys and posted, along with the installer's hostname and username, to https://api.telegram.org/bot<redacted>/sendMessage using a hardcoded bot token. The same payload uses ethers and bitcoinjs-lib to derive addresses from recovered keys, checks balances via cloudflare-eth.com and blockchain.info, and broadcasts signed transactions sweeping funds to hardcoded ETH_WALLET/BTC_WALLET recipient addresses (labeled 'PAYLOAD DRAIN - ETH & BTC' in a top-of-file comment). A binding.gyp file additionally uses GYP command expansion (<!(node -e "require('./dist/index.min.js')...")) to re-invoke the same payload whenever node-gyp configures the package, providing a second install-time execution channel. The package name mimics legitimate Web3 helper libraries, package.json declares the package as a dependency of itself, and no legitimate library code is present.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for @web3-helpers/core (7 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging @web3-helpers/core across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
@web3-helpers/core is built to steal secrets, so assume every credential the build or runtime could read is compromised. Remove it from your project and lockfile, then rotate ALL exposed secrets — npm/registry tokens, cloud keys, CI/CD secrets, SSH keys, and any .env values — from a known-clean machine. Audit logs for unauthorized use of those credentials.
Did it already run?
If @web3-helpers/core was ever installed, its post-install/runtime payload may have already executed. O3's L7 egress monitoring and runtime eBPF sensors detect the credential exfiltration or command-and-control callback after install and block the malicious outbound channel, so you catch and contain the actual compromise — not just the presence of the package.
How O3 protects you
O3 blocks @web3-helpers/core before install through its supply-chain scanner, and if it has already run, detects and severs the exfiltration or C2 callback at runtime through L7 egress monitoring and eBPF.
Frequently asked questions
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks @web3-helpers/core-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.