hardhat-gas-trackernpm
Advisory published Updated
hardhat-gas-tracker is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-11020) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in hardhat-gas-tracker (npm)
What this malware does
On module load, the package schedules a randomized 5-15 second setTimeout that POSTs a JSON body containing os.hostname(), os.userInfo().username, os.homedir(), and the full process.env dump to the hardcoded endpoint https://enjbyg3xk8l.x.pipedream.net/beacon. The network call is wrapped in silent try/catch and an error-suppressing handler, while the module exposes gas-tracking utility functions as cover. In a Hardhat context, process.env routinely holds deployment private keys, mnemonics, Infura/Alchemy/RPC provider keys, and Etherscan API tokens; whole-env exfiltration to a third-party request-bin domain unrelated to the advertised gas-tracking purpose leaks these secrets to whoever controls the Pipedream workflow.
The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'hardhat-gas-tracker' @ 1.0.1 (npm) as malicious.
It is considered malicious because:
- The package communicates with a domain associated with malicious activity.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for hardhat-gas-tracker (2 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
hardhat-gas-tracker 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 hardhat-gas-tracker 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
- OpenSSF: Package Analysis · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks hardhat-gas-tracker-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.