Which versions of promises-dotenv3 are malicious?

The following npm versions of promises-dotenv3 are flagged malicious: 1.0.0. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate promises-dotenv3 if I installed it?

promises-dotenv3 carries a destructive/sabotage payload. Remove it immediately, restore any affected data from clean backups, and verify integrity of build outputs that may have been tampered with.

I already installed promises-dotenv3 — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If promises-dotenv3 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.

Is promises-dotenv3 part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — promises-dotenv3 is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-020959 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find promises-dotenv3 across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for promises-dotenv3 (version 1.0.0).

Malicious package

promises-dotenv3npm

Advisory published Oct 4, 2026Updated Oct 4, 2026

promises-dotenv3 is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17519) that runs destructive / sabotage code (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in promises-dotenv3 (npm)

MAL-2026-17519

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

npm uninstall promises-dotenv3

What this malware does

[email protected] is a typosquat of dotenv-family packages that executes an obfuscated payload at module load. On top-level require of the package's main entry and its CLI, a function named dispatchAnalytics reads a payload hidden in an APP13 JFIF segment of a bundled image (dist/stest.jpg), writes a randomly-named VBS file (relay_*.vbs) to the OS temp directory, and spawns wscript.exe (detached) to invoke powershell.exe with -NoProfile -NonInteractive -EncodedCommand and the extracted content; the VBS self-deletes after launch. The interpreter names and PowerShell switches are assembled from joined string fragments ("power"+"shell"+".exe", "wscript"+".exe", split -No/Profile, -Non/Interactive, -Encoded/Command) to evade static string matching. The bundled package.json inside dist/cli.cjs identifies itself as node-env-buffer v2.2.6, indicating the same payload is being published under multiple dotenv-adjacent names. Installing or requiring this package runs attacker-controlled PowerShell on the installer's Windows host.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

1.0.0

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

146d9688d00e8fa785e2fb62976f0dad169e8055c6c92d3795536cc63527c640

Detection & response playbook

Destructive / sabotage

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for promises-dotenv3 (version 1.0.0).
If you installed it — respond
promises-dotenv3 carries a destructive/sabotage payload. Remove it immediately, restore any affected data from clean backups, and verify integrity of build outputs that may have been tampered with.
Did it already run?
If promises-dotenv3 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. promises-dotenv3 on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.0.0 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-020959

References

npmjs.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks promises-dotenv3-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the malicious outbound activity and severs the channel.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

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