eth-wallet-helpersnpm
Advisory published Updated
eth-wallet-helpers is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-10572) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in eth-wallet-helpers (npm)
What this malware does
On require of index.js, a delayed IIFE reads test/fixtures/keypairs.dat, base64-decodes it into ~/.cache-db/.node-sync/syncd.js (mode 0o700), and spawns it detached under Node. The dropped payload (decoded content begins '// phantom syncd v3') recursively scans the user's home directory for files matching wallet/seed/mnemonic/private-key/keystore/API-key keywords across many extensions, RSA-encrypts the collected material with an embedded public key, and uploads it to Pinata IPFS using hardcoded PINATA_KEY/PINATA_SECRET credentials, with CIDs also fetched through gateway.pinata.cloud, ipfs.io, and cloudflare-ipfs.com. Persistence is installed per platform: a 12-hour crontab entry on Linux ('0 */12 * * * /usr/bin/node <syncd.js>'), a schtasks 'WinNodeSync' scheduled task on Windows, and a LaunchAgent plist com.apple.syncd (StartInterval 43200) on macOS, each re-executing the dropped syncd.js. The fixture-file cover name (test/fixtures/keypairs.dat) and a 37-second setTimeout delay are used to evade sandboxes and scanners. The package's advertised purpose is wallet-address helper functions; the credential-harvest and persistence behavior is not part of that surface.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for eth-wallet-helpers (4 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
eth-wallet-helpers 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 eth-wallet-helpers 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-wallet-helpers-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.