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

@wethenorth12/web3-utils-cryptonpm

Advisory published Updated

@wethenorth12/web3-utils-crypto is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-12107) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 1.10.4). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in @wethenorth12/web3-utils-crypto (npm)

MAL-2026-12107
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall @wethenorth12/web3-utils-crypto

What this malware does

On module load, index.js collects the host identifiers (os.hostname(), os.userInfo().username, home directory, platform, cwd) and the entire process.env, JSON-serializes and base64-encodes the payload, and sends it via HTTPS GET to the Telegram Bot API at api.telegram.org/bot<token>/sendMessage with a hardcoded bot token and chat_id (8969499041). A tempdir flag file gates single-shot execution. The package advertises itself as a 'Drop-in replacement for web3-utils' and attempts to require('web3-utils') to re-export it as a cover for the exfil payload; the author field is 'chainSafe', impersonating the ChainSafe organization, and the declared repository github.com/chainSafe/web3-utils-crypto does not exist. Any environment variables present in the installer or CI process (API keys, cloud credentials, CI tokens) leave to the attacker's Telegram channel the first time this module is required.

Malicious versions

1 flagged
1.10.4

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

fc6591661338a325995ebe471f7d8157c1be9458f38336c4c11032033b150108

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @wethenorth12/web3-utils-crypto (version 1.10.4).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    @wethenorth12/web3-utils-crypto 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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If @wethenorth12/web3-utils-crypto 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/web3-utils-crypto on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.10.4 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-013447

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks @wethenorth12/web3-utils-crypto-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

Explore

All malware advisories How O3 detects malware Vulnerability database
@wethenorth12/web3-utils-crypto (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-12107 | O3 Security