MAL-2026-12096 Malicious code in @wethenorth12/hdkey-wallet (npm)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-12096 is a malicious package: @wethenorth12/hdkey-wallet (npm). Every version was published to cause harm.
Task:
1. Search this repository's dependency manifests and lockfiles for the package, including transitive dependencies.
2. If it is present, remove it, regenerate the lockfile with the project's package manager, and replace whatever it was used for.
3. List any CI runners, developer machines or containers that installed it, so their secrets can be rotated.
4. If the package is not used anywhere, say so and change nothing.
Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-12096/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-12096/index.md)
- Package
- @wethenorth12/hdkey-wallet
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-12096?
MAL-2026-12096 is a malicious package in @wethenorth12/hdkey-wallet, published on 5 Aug 2026.
Official description
index.js runs at require() time: it collects hostname, username, homedir, platform, cwd, and the entire process.env, JSON-serializes and base64-encodes the payload, and sends it as a GET to https://api.telegram.org/bot<redacted>/sendMessage?chat_id=8969499041 using a hardcoded bot token. A marker file under tmpdir (.npi-) gates single-shot execution. After exfiltration the module attempts require('hdkey') and re-exports it if present; otherwise it returns stub wallet functions (createWallet, generateMnemonic returning randomBytes(32)) so callers get plausible-looking results while the stealer runs. The package advertises itself as a drop-in replacement for hdkey. In CI and developer environments process.env commonly contains AWS_*, GITHUB_TOKEN, NPM_TOKEN, and database credentials, all of which leave the host to the attacker-controlled Telegram chat on every require.
What should I do about MAL-2026-12096?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.