OpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-11023 confirms this npm version as malicious. Package `bs58-88` mimics the popular `bs58` base58 encoder: README, keywords, and repository URL match the real `bs58`, and `index.cjs` re-exports functionality via `require("base65-85x")`. The sole runtime dependency `base65-85x` is itself a name that resembles the legitimate `base-x` package...
Source
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV
Summary
Malicious code in bs58-88 (npm)
Details
Package `bs58-88` mimics the popular `bs58` base58 encoder: README, keywords, and repository URL match the real `bs58`, and `index.cjs` re-exports functionality via `require("base65-85x")`. The sole runtime dependency `base65-85x` is itself a name that resembles the legitimate `base-x` package. The package under review does not contain traced installer-harm behavior (no exfiltration, no install-time fetch-and-execute, no credential access, no lifecycle scripts observed), so the concern is name-confusion plus a look-alike transitive rather than a demonstrated payload in this artifact. Whether `base65-85x` is itself malicious was not established here; a human reviewer should assess both the name-similarity judgment against `bs58`/`base-x` and the trust of the `base65-85x` dependency before publishing a public advisory.
## Source: ghsa-malware (2e251130fcb84c2b20ede3b09d95f501bd3b593c051cf0f95d6beba9b11949a2) Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.
Decision reason
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV confirms bs58-88@6.0.1 as malicious (MAL-2026-11023): Malicious code in bs58-88 (npm)