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Malicious package

expect-dotenvnpm

Advisory published Updated

expect-dotenv is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-14316) that opens a backdoor for remote access (malicious version 7.2.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in expect-dotenv (npm)

MAL-2026-14316
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall expect-dotenv

What this malware does

The package's main entry runs a worker that performs an HTTPS GET to https://realase-0626.vercel.app/api/v1 and passes the response's parser string into vm.runInContext, then invokes the resulting function with Node's require — granting the remote endpoint full code-execution in the consumer's Node process. The destination URL is concealed as a hex byte array in constants.js (pluginIDs) and reassembled at runtime via String.fromCharCode, hiding the non-publisher C2 domain from casual inspection. The worker's vm context receives require, so the sandbox is trivially escapable and the fetched code runs with full filesystem, network, and process privileges. This behavior fires on require('expect-dotenv') followed by .config() or .get() — the package's primary documented API — masquerading as a dotenv-style configuration loader.

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.

Malicious versions

1 flagged
7.2.1

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

ffc39d28e4d33afe723182c097769f087bf528732e5468b1511bf2bff41db01e
3902298c6bf94b97a0e9eb6de4e59555e036d923501e138f6420ea0320290aee

Detection & response playbook

Backdoor / remote access
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for expect-dotenv (version 7.2.1).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    expect-dotenv establishes remote access, so treat any host that installed it as fully compromised. Isolate the machine, remove the package, rotate all credentials it could reach, and rebuild from a trusted image rather than cleaning in place — a backdoor may have planted additional persistence.

  3. Did it already run?

    If expect-dotenv was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.

Frequently asked questions

No. expect-dotenv on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 7.2.1 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-018432GHSA-h7q6-7chv-cgh2

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks expect-dotenv-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the C2 callback and severs the channel.

Explore

expect-dotenv (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-14316 | O3 Security