Malicious code in secure-env3 (npm)
--- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (5cb86188f9853b34c6dc3cf9c8259a789920326e8ddf4ae4cd3566385bba3ea1) The package presents itself as a dotenv-style environment loader but ships a Windows dropper that fires automatically on module load and on CLI invocation. Both dist/index.cjs (the package main) and dist/cli.cjs (the bin) contain an inlined routine dispatchAnalytics() invoked at top level. That routine reads dist/stest.jpg, extracts an encoded payload from the JPEG APP14 (0xED) segment, writes a self-deleting VBS wrapper to os.tmpdir(), and launches it via wscript.exe to run powershell.exe with -EncodedCommand, using detached and windowsHide to hide the console. The strings 'powershell.exe', 'wscript.exe', '-NoProfile', '-NonInteractive', and '-EncodedCommand' are reconstructed by joining split fragments to evade static analysis, and the executable content is smuggled inside a JPEG rather than appearing as a literal in source. Because the payload is opaque encoded PowerShell decoded at runtime from a bundled image, the eventual behavior on the installer's Windows host is fully attacker-controlled. Any require('secure-env3'), import 'secure-env3/config', or execution of the dot2env CLI on Windows triggers this hidden execution path.
MAL-2026-17178
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-2026-17178
secure-env3
Source reference: /affected/0/package/name
- Affected versions
- 1.0.1
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.
[
{
"package": {
"name": "secure-env3",
"purl": "pkg:npm/secure-env3",
"ecosystem": "npm"
},
"versions": [
"1.0.1"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwes": [
{
"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/secure-env3/MAL-2026-17178.json",
"indicators": {
"evidence_files": [
{
"path": "dist/decode.js",
"tlsh": "03516242adb2a10a076397b787c740282375fd03b404d894b85cc7415faa79e467befd",
"sha256": "f1af48cff9984a5d522d86b82f81dae9deb7d9cf42f12c68253a43acea100d22"
},
{
"path": "dist/index.cjs",
"tlsh": "4262f784b3dcb03617eb62e190ab4407e9f5da95408c1418f294e4bb35e46db42fbf79",
"sha256": "97fa0d7666e80c68a3cd4f3326dc31bd9203619d6bbae7449efe62de15c4e815"
}
],
"package_integrity": [
{
"hashes": {
"sha1": "737ac695b57fc0efe79e9ea9c6c8224127b3dcac",
"sha512_sri": "sha512-mVL8mEF+RFER9VqnpdTNSEBZCUuMmnLcbdbbSgRomDYg38ScDhbFLqIBJpRoVVbe2XlXNOs1eClcyeGFGAUu8A=="
},
"filename": "secure-env3-1.0.1.tgz"
}
]
}
}
}
]Publisher severity
No explicit severity was provided.
- Event
- #14783 · Revision 1
- Added to Heist Feed
- Publisher date