# MAL-2026-6769: Malicious code in @marketfront/captchaservice (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `@marketfront/captchaservice` (npm)
- **Published:** 2 Jul 2026

## What is MAL-2026-6769?

MAL-2026-6769 is a malicious package in @marketfront/captchaservice, published on 2 Jul 2026. 

### Official description

The @marketfront/captchaservice package is part of a 25-package malicious campaign batch-published to the @marketfront npm scope by npm user 'marketfront' (marketfront@tutamail.com) within a roughly 3-minute window on 2026-07-01. All packages in the campaign were published at version 7.0.0 and use e-commerce/marketing frontend component names as cover.

The package declares a postinstall hook (node scripts/postinstall.js) that executes heavily obfuscated (obfuscator.io-style) code automatically at npm install time. Static analysis of the decoded payload revealed a credential harvester that dynamically requires fs, os, http, https, zlib, path and dns, then reads approximately 20 sensitive credential files including ~/.ssh, ~/.aws/credentials, ~/.kube/config, ~/.docker/config.json, ~/.npmrc, ~/.netrc, ~/.pgpass, ~/.git-credentials, ~/.env and ~/.bash_history. Collected data is exfiltrated via a gzip-compressed HTTPS POST with a custom X-Secret header to the path /api/v1/events, alongside a DNS resolver beacon. The command-and-control host is concealed behind an additional RC4+XOR encryption layer around an embedded configuration blob and was not statically resolved.

The decoded behavioral payload (module requires, credential-file target list, exfiltration headers and endpoint) is byte-for-byte identical across sampled packages in the campaign. The campaign shares tooling and infrastructure patterns (obfuscated postinstall credential harvester, X-Secret header, /api/v1/events exfiltration path, RC4-concealed C2) with the earlier @emcd-vue campaign, indicating the same actor rotating scopes and disposable maintainer emails.

Package @marketfront/captchaservice@7.0.0 could not be fully characterized from automated evidence. No a static rule findings are recorded, and while automated code tracing engaged and read files from the package, its output was withheld by the provider's malware-content safety filter — a signal that the traced content resembled operational malware but which does not, on its own, identify a specific installer-harm mechanism (exfil endpoint, credential path, dropper URL, backdoor). Without a named data source, named destination, or named install/import-time execution path, the record does not meet the bar for a public block verdict. The scope (`@marketfront`) and package name (`captchaservice`) do not correspond to a known-legitimate widely-used package family, and the safety-filter trigger warrants a human look at the tarball contents before this version is trusted in a build pipeline.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-6769?

Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
MAL-2026-6769 is a malicious package: @marketfront/captchaservice (npm). Every version was published to cause harm.

Task:
1. Search this repository's dependency manifests and lockfiles for the package, including transitive dependencies.
2. If it is present, remove it, regenerate the lockfile with the project's package manager, and replace whatever it was used for.
3. List any CI runners, developer machines or containers that installed it, so their secrets can be rotated.
4. If the package is not used anywhere, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-6769/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-6769/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-6769

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-6769/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.