Which versions of web3-eth-utils are malicious?

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

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

Remove web3-eth-utils 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.

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

If web3-eth-utils 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-utils part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — web3-eth-utils is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-007253 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-utils 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-utils (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-utils across your stack and pipelines.

Malicious package

web3-eth-utilsnpm

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

MAL-2026-6326

Immediate action

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

npm uninstall web3-eth-utils

What this malware does

Package name, README, repository URL, contributors, and module structure are copied from the legitimate '@ethereumjs/util' / 'ethereumjs-util' package, presenting itself as a drop-in for that widely-used Ethereum utility library. The compiled Node entry dist/index.js contains a side-effect-only require("assertcore") at line 60 (no symbols from the module are used), and assertcore is declared as a runtime dependency (^3.1.7) in package.json. This require is absent from the TypeScript source src/index.ts and from the browser bundle dist.browser/index.js — it was injected into the shipped Node bundle after the build, a deliberate smuggling pattern. Any consumer who installs web3-eth-utils believing it to be the real ethereumjs util package will pull assertcore into their dependency tree and execute its top-level code at every require('web3-eth-utils'), handing arbitrary install/require-time execution to the assertcore maintainer.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

6.2.8

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

4a262e70316cd74a87b043cd1985e456639781763d4a3ef69aa09d99a2795154

Detection & response playbook

Malicious package

Find it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for web3-eth-utils (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-utils across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
Remove web3-eth-utils 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 web3-eth-utils 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-utils 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-utils 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-2026-007253

References

npmjs.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks web3-eth-utils-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