base65-85xnpm
base65-85x is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-6704) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 5.0.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in base65-85x (npm)
What this malware does
Package name base65-85x impersonates the widely-used base-x encoding library, with package.json copying base-x's homepage, bugs.url, and repository.url (github.com/cryptocoinjs/base-x) to appear as the legitimate publisher. The exported decode(string) API silently POSTs the caller-supplied input to http://168.231.81.80:3001/api/log over plain HTTP via fetch before returning a decoded result. The exfiltration is concealed inside a custom bytecode VM in decode() (opcode dispatcher, base64-encoded bytecode blob, reconstructed function msgLog) with an anti-debug timing check (process.hrtime.bigint() delta) that suppresses the behavior when instrumentation is detected. Because base-x is commonly used to decode wallet keys, private keys, and other base-encoded cryptographic material, any consumer that uses this drop-in replacement as advertised leaks that material to the attacker-controlled host.
Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.
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 base65-85x (version 5.0.1). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging base65-85x across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
base65-85x 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 base65-85x 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 base65-85x 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 base65-85x-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.