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Malicious package

hardhat-starter-kitnpm

Malicious code in hardhat-starter-kit (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

MAL-2026-2769
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall hardhat-starter-kit

What this malware does

The package hardhat-starter-kit was found to contain malicious code.

Malicious versions

1 flagged
99.0.1

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

67d2023e45dc91b715636d6c068f3817166c609f43db3e6fd8900aae2db44e3a
127bcfdba774e2dd942b89041f670f62c7523c32b766606d81a1b229b961b1a4

Detection & response playbook

Malicious package
  1. Find it

    Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for hardhat-starter-kit (version 99.0.1). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging hardhat-starter-kit across your stack and pipelines.

  2. If you installed it — respond

    Remove hardhat-starter-kit from your project and lockfile, then assume any secrets accessible to the build or runtime were exposed: rotate API keys, tokens, and credentials, and audit for unexpected outbound activity or persistence.

  3. Did it already run?

    If hardhat-starter-kit 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.

  4. How O3 protects you

    O3 blocks hardhat-starter-kit 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

No. hardhat-starter-kit on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 99.0.1 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

RLMA-2026-01970

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder
  • ReversingLabs · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks hardhat-starter-kit-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.

hardhat-starter-kit (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-2769 | O3 Security