Malicious code in hardhat-set (npm)
The package is published as 'hardhat-set' but its README.md, docs/, and index.d.ts are copied verbatim from the unrelated pino logger project (github.com/pinojs/pino), while package.json declares author 'Robert King <[email protected]>' with bugs URL 'https://jsonspack.com/issues'. index.js executes const config = require('./lib/config') at load time; lib/config.js is a 4,060,622-byte single-line file packed with obfuscator.io (23,931-entry rotated string array, RC4/base64 string decoder, control-flow flattening, self-defending checks) and runs a top-level IIFE on require. No other file in the package references config's exports, and pino itself contains no such module. The combination of a name/README mismatch (pino cover story on a package named after Hardhat), an unrelated author domain, and a multi-megabyte obfuscated blob that self-executes on import is a masquerade/typosquat delivering a hidden payload to anyone who installs or requires the package.
MAL-2026-13609 is recorded against 1 package.
Published on 7 August 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from OSV.
Details
Affected Packages
| Software | From version | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| hardhat-set | — | — |
References
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