Malicious code in dotenv-async (npm)
--- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (51d22963a1f1fabe3a8b3f54efcb5053761d385486093200765745297ac2bd16) The package impersonates the dotenv API but on module load (and again when the bundled CLI runs) invokes a function named dispatchAnalytics in dist/index.cjs that extracts a payload from the APP14 (0xFFED) marker of dist/stest.jpg. The extracted UTF-16LE base64 string is assembled into a VBS file (relay_.vbs) in the OS temp directory that invokes powershell.exe with -NoProfile -NonInteractive -EncodedCommand, spawned via wscript.exe in detached, windowsHide mode. The decoded PowerShell downloads a second-stage Windows executable from hardwood-studio-obviously-briefing.trycloudflare.com/download/winhost and executes it, giving arbitrary code execution on Windows installers. String-splitting of powershell/wscript and argument tokens is used to evade static matching. A second obfuscated execution vehicle is shipped in dist/enterprise.js: a hex-named obfuscator.io-style loader that RC4-decrypts a base64 blob and executes it via new Function(require, module, __filename, __dirname, ); this file is not referenced by index.cjs in the current build but is a dormant secondary stage in the tarball. Identity inconsistencies corroborate intent: cli.cjs bundles an inner package.json declaring name node-env-buffer version 2.2.6 while the outer manifest is dotenv-async 1.0.0, and the README points at the unrelated motdotla/dotenv project.
MAL-2026-17504
Primary source · Revision 1
Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.
Security context
Source reference: osv:MAL-2026-17504
dotenv-async
Source reference: /affected/0/package/name
- Affected versions
- 1.0.0
Source reference:
/affected/0/versions - Fixed versions
- Not stated in this record
- Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
Structured affected-version data
Original package identities and version rules from this source.
[
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "SEMVER",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "dotenv-async",
"purl": "pkg:npm/dotenv-async",
"ecosystem": "npm"
},
"versions": [
"1.0.0"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwes": [
{
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
},
{
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
}
],
"source": "https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/dotenv-async/MAL-2026-17504.json",
"indicators": {
"evidence_files": [
{
"path": "dist/index.cjs",
"tlsh": "4262f784b3dcb03617eb62e190ab4407e9f5da95408c1418f294e4bb35e46db42fbf79",
"sha256": "97fa0d7666e80c68a3cd4f3326dc31bd9203619d6bbae7449efe62de15c4e815"
},
{
"path": "dist/enterprise.js",
"tlsh": "d0425d48fe4e2087cffa93e31f611a54627dc288719e2068627a03d13a35a9295d7dfc",
"sha256": "c603a9d04709f277ae7057150019db50d4d9721b87bad0da46013b92fe8e4723"
},
{
"path": "dist/cli.cjs",
"tlsh": "d792d74473cdb47a17e621d070ab500beaf2cb60459c1504f2dcb07627f4a9a96ebfb9",
"sha256": "8556eeca50285aea12dfdcbc4ebcee110d916ef81ddde2e338dcf78bda2028cf"
}
],
"package_integrity": [
{
"hashes": {
"sha1": "331578bdeea70972602bd1ef7884c7f69c18a362",
"sha512_sri": "sha512-GepLJaTZvi8ZueAx69Y81bkBb9EtTLy83QpJVrb/vHnvEGU+ctg/54xYn25oWHZMcjKRri61w6IMXduNa3HDRg=="
},
"filename": "dotenv-async-1.0.0.tgz"
}
]
}
}
}
]Publisher severity
No explicit severity was provided.
- Event
- #86002 · Revision 1
- Added to Heist Feed
- Publisher date