Which versions of web3-eth-util are malicious?

The following npm versions of web3-eth-util are flagged malicious: 6.2.8. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate web3-eth-util if I installed it?

web3-eth-util is a typosquat — you almost certainly intended a legitimately-named package. Remove web3-eth-util, install the correct package, and rotate any secrets exposed during the install since post-install scripts may have already run.

I already installed web3-eth-util — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If web3-eth-util 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.

Is web3-eth-util part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — web3-eth-util is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-007254 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find web3-eth-util across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for web3-eth-util (version 6.2.8). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging web3-eth-util across your stack and pipelines.

Malicious package

web3-eth-utilnpm

Malicious code in web3-eth-util (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

MAL-2026-6325

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

npm uninstall web3-eth-util

What this malware does

Package name and metadata impersonate the legitimate @ethereumjs/util / ethereumjs-util packages: README is copied verbatim from the upstream ethereumjs project (and even instructs users to npm install eth-util), the contributor list and repository URL point at ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo, but the package is published under a different name and ownership. The published dist/index.js (line ~57) contains require("assertcore") and package.json declares "assertcore": "^3.1.7" as a runtime dependency. The human-authored src/index.ts has no such import, and the browser build at dist.browser/index.js also omits it — the extra require is injected only into the Node-targeted build that ships in the npm tarball, so reviewers reading the GitHub source see clean code while npm install + require('web3-eth-util') silently loads the third-party 'assertcore' package in the consumer's Node process with full privileges. 'assertcore' is not part of the legitimate @ethereumjs/util sources and resembles a typosquat of the standard 'assert' module. The combination — brand impersonation of a widely used Ethereum utility package, source/dist divergence hiding the injection from GitHub readers, and a require-time pull of an unrelated third-party package — is a dependency-chain dropper pattern that delivers attacker-controlled code to anyone who installs and imports this package.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

6.2.8

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

f2e70ad91037bdc97e6b1ab8c95f5f2b5eecdb4524582d79dae5f240cbdbfc29

Detection & response playbook

Typosquat

Find it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for web3-eth-util (version 6.2.8). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging web3-eth-util across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
web3-eth-util is a typosquat — you almost certainly intended a legitimately-named package. Remove web3-eth-util, 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-eth-util 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-eth-util 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. web3-eth-util on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 6.2.8 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-007254

References

npmjs.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks web3-eth-util-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.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring