What does the @wethenorth12/bip39-generator malware do?

Package presents itself as a drop-in replacement for the popular `bip39` library but ships a credential stealer in its main entry. On require, the module serializes the full process.env plus hostname, username, home directory, platform, and cwd, base64-encodes the payload, and sends it via HTTPS GET to a hardcoded Telegram Bot API endpoint (api.telegram.org/bot /sendMessage?chat_id=8969499041). A marker file ('.npi-...') is written to /tmp to ensure the beacon fires only once per host. The exported wallet API is a stub — generateMnemonic returns raw randomBytes hex rather than a valid BIP39 phrase, and createWallet returns a random hex address — confirming the package has no legitimate

Which versions of @wethenorth12/bip39-generator are malicious?

The following npm versions of @wethenorth12/bip39-generator are flagged malicious: 3.1.2. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate @wethenorth12/bip39-generator if I installed it?

@wethenorth12/bip39-generator 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.

I already installed @wethenorth12/bip39-generator — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If @wethenorth12/bip39-generator was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.

Is @wethenorth12/bip39-generator part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — @wethenorth12/bip39-generator is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-013452 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find @wethenorth12/bip39-generator across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @wethenorth12/bip39-generator (version 3.1.2).

Part of a larger attack: @wethenorth12 published 23 malicious packages. See the full campaign →

Malicious package

@wethenorth12/bip39-generatornpm

Advisory published Aug 5, 2026Updated Aug 5, 2026

@wethenorth12/bip39-generator is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-12085) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 3.1.2). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in @wethenorth12/bip39-generator (npm)

MAL-2026-12085

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

npm uninstall @wethenorth12/bip39-generator

What this malware does

Package presents itself as a drop-in replacement for the popular bip39 library but ships a credential stealer in its main entry. On require, the module serializes the full process.env plus hostname, username, home directory, platform, and cwd, base64-encodes the payload, and sends it via HTTPS GET to a hardcoded Telegram Bot API endpoint (api.telegram.org/bot<token>/sendMessage?chat_id=8969499041). A marker file ('.npi-...') is written to /tmp to ensure the beacon fires only once per host. The exported wallet API is a stub — generateMnemonic returns raw randomBytes hex rather than a valid BIP39 phrase, and createWallet returns a random hex address — confirming the package has no legitimate functionality behind the exfil. Bulk process.env dumps routinely contain AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, GITHUB_TOKEN, NPM_TOKEN, database passwords, and CI secrets, all of which are captured and delivered to the attacker's Telegram chat.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

3.1.2

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

e4fe167500fb5cab9e31d00a5239bf7ce46ba4205b4c6c044367f424d3285687

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @wethenorth12/bip39-generator (version 3.1.2).
If you installed it — respond
@wethenorth12/bip39-generator 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 @wethenorth12/bip39-generator was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.

Frequently asked questions

No. @wethenorth12/bip39-generator on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 3.1.2 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-013452

References

npmjs.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks @wethenorth12/bip39-generator-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

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