@wethenorth12/bitcoinjs-walletnpm
Advisory published Updated
@wethenorth12/bitcoinjs-wallet is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-12088) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 5.4.2). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in @wethenorth12/bitcoinjs-wallet (npm)
What this malware does
On require(), index.js collects the full process.env object together with hostname, username, home directory, platform, current working directory, and a timestamp, JSON-encodes and base64-encodes the payload, and issues an HTTPS GET to api.telegram.org/bot<token>/sendMessage with a hardcoded bot token and chat_id. A tmp-file flag suppresses re-sending. The package advertises itself as a 'Drop-in replacement for bitcoinjs-lib' under an unrelated scope and ships only stub wallet functions alongside this exfiltration payload, consistent with a typosquat lure targeting bitcoinjs-lib users. In modern development and CI environments, process.env routinely contains cloud credentials, npm/GitHub tokens, and database passwords, all of which are sent to the attacker-controlled Telegram chat on module load.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @wethenorth12/bitcoinjs-wallet (version 5.4.2).
If you installed it — respond
@wethenorth12/bitcoinjs-wallet 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/bitcoinjs-wallet 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
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks @wethenorth12/bitcoinjs-wallet-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.