# MAL-2026-17658: Malicious code in hardhat-bits (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `hardhat-bits` (npm)
- **Published:** 8 Oct 2026

## What is MAL-2026-17658?

MAL-2026-17658 is a malicious package in hardhat-bits, published on 8 Oct 2026. 

### Official description

The package is published as hardhat-bits but its README, LICENSE, docs/, and lib/* files are copied verbatim from the pino logger project, providing cover for an inserted file at lib/config.js. index.js performs `const config = require('./lib/config')` at the top level, so the file executes unconditionally when the module is required. lib/config.js is a single-line, ~4.47 MB obfuscator.io output: a 26,130-entry shuffled string array with a rotating decoder, hex-escaped member access, RC4-style key-schedule string decoding, control-flow flattening, and a self-defending IIFE. The exported `middleware` in index.js is a no-op `(_req, _res, next) => next()`, so the obfuscated module serves no documented purpose in the public API. The combination of name/branding mismatch (hardhat tooling name, pino content), a stub public API, and a multi-megabyte obfuscated blob auto-executed on import matches the trojan-loader shape used by npm supply-chain malware; any installer that requires hardhat-bits runs attacker-controlled code hidden behind the obfuscation.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-17658?

Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
MAL-2026-17658 is a malicious package: hardhat-bits (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-2026-17658/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17658/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-17658

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17658/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.