eth-basenpm
Advisory published Updated
eth-base is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-10413) that typosquats a legitimate package to trick installs (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in eth-base (npm)
What this malware does
The published lib/index.js contains ~60KB of obfuscated JavaScript appended after a copy of the legitimate web3.js web3-core-subscriptions module. On require(), the appended IIFE loads axios, issues an HTTPS request to a URL reconstructed at runtime from custom base-85 alphabets, and on a specific response constructs new Function('require', <remote-token>)(require) to execute attacker-supplied JavaScript in-process with full Node require access. The corresponding src/index.js is the clean upstream module, indicating the payload was injected only into the shipped build. The package name and description impersonate a web3.js helper (LGPL header still credits Fabian Vogelsteller [email protected]) while the repository field is empty. Consumers who require this package receive arbitrary code execution on the installing host at load time.
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
TyposquatFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for eth-base (version 1.0.0).
If you installed it — respond
eth-base is a typosquat — you almost certainly intended a legitimately-named package. Remove eth-base, install the correct package, and rotate any secrets exposed during the install since post-install scripts may have already run.
Did it already run?
If eth-base 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 eth-base-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the malicious outbound activity and severs the channel.