Malicious code in dotenv-async (npm)

CISA KEV is observed exploitation evidence. FIRST EPSS is a dated prediction of exploitation in the next 30 days. Missing scores are unknown. This collector requests predictions only for explicit CVE aliases in the public NuGet archive; Microsoft release views retain their existing prediction scope.

No collected risk observation for these identifiers. This does not establish absence of exploitation or a zero probability.

--- _-= 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_<time><rand>.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, <decoded>); 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. ## Source: ghsa-malware (ab704deac4e98c562ccb2d13ba54ba292c9893420a3299cf3abdd2202544b88c) 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.

Source published

4 Oct 2026 23:29:08 UTC

Source modified

6 Oct 2026 01:15:04 UTC

Observed here

24 Oct 2026 13:17:17 UTC

Source terms

OSV · upstream source license applies

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: osv · OSV · upstream source license applies. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.