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Massive NPM breach injects malware into popular JavaScript libraries
Security researchers have tracked a large supply-chain attack on Node Package Manager (NPM) packages that inserted malware into widely used JavaScript libraries. The tampered packages, which are deep dependencies in countless projects, were flagged after security teams discovered a crypto-targeting payload aimed at diverting funds from Ethereum and Solana wallets.
Crypto intelligence firm Security Alliance analyzed the incident and concluded that the attack is one of the broadest NPM compromises observed — the affected packages have collective download counts in the billions — but so far losses to the crypto ecosystem remain negligible.
Minimal crypto theft to date — but exposure was huge
Despite the scope of the breach, Security Alliance reported that attackers have stolen under $50 in total. The report identified a likely malicious Ethereum address, "0xFc4a48", which has received a small amount of Ether and several memecoins. Earlier telemetry briefly showed as little as five cents in stolen ETH before the figure rose to roughly $50, indicating that the incident was still developing when researchers published their initial findings.
Security researcher Samczsun, who operates under the SEAL alias, told reporters the intruder did not make full use of the access they gained. "It's like finding the keycard to Fort Knox and using it as a bookmark," he said, noting the malware has largely been neutralized by defenders.
Which packages and projects were affected?
The compromise targeted utility modules widely embedded in dependency trees — packages such as chalk, strip-ansi, and color-convert. Because these modules are often included indirectly, many developer environments and production builds could have been exposed even when teams never installed those packages directly.
Analysis shows the attackers deployed a crypto-clipper payload: malware that stealthily replaces legitimate wallet addresses on a victim's clipboard with attacker-controlled addresses during on-chain confirmations, redirecting funds when a user submits a transaction.
Major wallet providers report no impact
Several major crypto wallets and platforms reported they were not affected. Ledger and MetaMask said their defenses prevented exploitation, citing multiple layers of security. Phantom Wallet stated it does not use the vulnerable package versions, and Uniswap confirmed its apps were not at risk. Additional platforms including Aerodrome, Blast, Blockstream Jade and Revoke.cash also reported no exposure.
What users and developers should do now
Security experts advise developers to audit dependency trees, revoke and rotate compromised credentials, and remove or update affected NPM packages. End users should exercise caution when approving on-chain transactions and consider avoiding wallet interactions with dApps until developers confirm packages are cleaned. As noted by a pseudonymous founder at DeFi analytics firm DefiLlama, only projects that updated after the malicious packages were published — and where users approved a malicious transaction — are likely to be harmed.
While this incident highlights the systemic risk of supply-chain attacks in the JavaScript ecosystem, quick detection and coordinated response kept crypto losses minimal. Ongoing vigilance around dependency hygiene, package integrity checks, and wallet confirmation UX remains essential for blockchain security and protecting crypto wallets from future NPM attacks.
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