wet_rat_replicate_automationnpm
Advisory published Updated
wet_rat_replicate_automation is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-18668) that executes malicious code on install (malicious version 2.3.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in wet_rat_replicate_automation (npm)
What this malware does
Part of a self-republishing campaign: the package ships autopublish2.js, which in a loop gives the package a new random name, bumps its version, rewrites package.json and runs npm publish to publish the package again under the new name. Self-replicating publication is the propagation step of a registry worm and fills the registry with copies. Version examined: 2.3.1; tarball SHA-256 4e7250a12081880b7781ba4a3a0c912fa5347bbbcb3046b039c7459f284085de.
Malicious versions
Detection & response playbook
Malicious packageFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for wet_rat_replicate_automation (version 2.3.1).
If you installed it — respond
Remove wet_rat_replicate_automation 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 wet_rat_replicate_automation was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.
Frequently asked questions
Credits
- Oluwatosin Amokeodo · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks wet_rat_replicate_automation-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.