web3-core-jsnpm
Malicious code in web3-core-js (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
What this malware does
package.json declares a lifecycle hook that invokes require('child_process') and execSync with a curl command at install time. This pattern fetches remote content and executes it on the installer's machine as part of npm install, before any user code runs. The package name mimics the widely-used web3/web3-core ecosystem while shipping only a lifecycle trigger for remote execution — no library code consistent with the claimed web3 purpose is present. Running npm install web3-core-js on any developer or CI machine results in arbitrary attacker-controlled bytes being fetched and executed with the privileges of the installing user.
The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'web3-core-js' @ 2.0.0 (npm) as malicious.
It is considered malicious because:
- The package executes one or more commands associated with malicious behavior.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
TyposquatFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for web3-core-js (2 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging web3-core-js across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
web3-core-js is a typosquat — you almost certainly intended a legitimately-named package. Remove web3-core-js, 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 web3-core-js 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 web3-core-js 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 web3-core-js-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.