# MAL-2026-6787: Malicious code in @marketfront/navbar (npm)


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

## What is MAL-2026-6787?

MAL-2026-6787 is a malicious package in @marketfront/navbar, published on 2 Jul 2026. 

### Official description

The @marketfront/navbar 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.

The package registers scripts/postinstall.js as an npm postinstall hook. The script is heavily obfuscated (obfuscator.io-style string-array with RC4 decoder, hex-named functions, runtime string decoding) and, on npm install, harvests a full profile of the installing machine: os.hostname(), os.userInfo().username, os.homedir(), os.platform(), os.arch(), os.networkInterfaces(), process.argv0, process.cwd(), the complete process.env, npm_config_user_agent, and Windows-specific USERDOMAIN, COMPUTERNAME, APPDATA, LOCALAPPDATA, TEMP, and PROGRAMDATA, along with the package name and version. The collected data is JSON-serialized, zlib-compressed, XOR-encrypted, and exfiltrated over two channels to a runtime-decoded remote host: an HTTPS POST and a DNS TXT tunnel that chunks the payload into subdomain labels via a custom dns.Resolver with attacker-specified servers. Payload execution is gated by anti-analysis checks — inspection of process.argv and NODE_OPTIONS for 'node_modules' / '.npm' tokens, a Date.now() timing threshold, and a global sentinel for single execution — designed to fire on real developer and CI installs while staying silent under scanners. The package presents itself as an 'Internal structured logger' under the name @marketfront/navbar, but has no working library surface: dist/index.js re-exports../src/index.js, which is not shipped in the tarball. The entire functional behavior is the install-time stealer. Developer and CI process environments routinely contain cloud provider tokens, npm publish tokens, registry credentials, and CI secrets, so the impact is credential compromise of the installer's account/infrastructure.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-6787?

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-2026-6787 is a malicious package: @marketfront/navbar (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-2026-6787/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-6787/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-6787

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-6787/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.