@merceas/cross-fetch
Universal WHATWG Fetch API for Node, Browsers and React Native
This report shows the evidence for @merceas/cross-fetch@3.1.12, the only known version.
OpenSSF/OSV Malicious Advisory
imported 4mo ago · by OpenSSF/OSVOpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-6510 confirms this npm version as malicious.
Advisory
MAL-2026-6510
Source
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV
Summary
Malicious code in @merceas/cross-fetch (npm)
Details
Package is published under the @merceas scope as `cross-fetch` and reuses the upstream cross-fetch README, homepage (github.com/lquixada/cross-fetch), and author metadata to impersonate the legitimate `cross-fetch` package. The package `main`, dist/node-ponyfill.js, contains decoy ponyfill code followed by two obfuscator.io-packed IIFEs that run when the module is `require()`d. The IIFEs dynamically import fs/os/path/https/http/crypto/url/child_process, AES-256-decrypt a URL constructed at runtime from four 32-byte hex Buffers, HTTPS-GET the payload (handling 301/302/303/307/308 redirects with exponential-backoff retries), write it under `os.tmpdir()/<name>-<pid>/`, chmod the file to 0755 (`chmodSync(file, 0o1ed)`), then execute it via `bash -c <file>` and additionally spawn a detached, `unref()`'d child with `stdio:'ignore'` and `windowsHide:true` for self-respawn / persistence. Obfuscation uses a string-array with numeric-IIFE shift, RC4-keyed base64 lookup, and an anti-tamper RegExp debugger self-test to hide the URL and command strings from static inspection. Importing this package — directly or as a transitive — executes attacker-controlled bytes on the installer's machine in any environment that loads the module (CI, build, production, developer workstation).
References
Source & flagged code
0 flagged · loading sourceNo flagged code excerpts are attached to this scan.
Findings
1 High
HighOsv Malicious Advisory
Affected versions and remediation
This report applies to @merceas/cross-fetch@3.1.12.
The versions list below shows the verdict for each recorded version.
- Avoid installing @merceas/cross-fetch@3.1.12. Remove it from direct dependencies and check your lockfile for transitive copies.
- Choose an independently verified alternative or release. This report does not establish that other versions are safe.
- If this version ran, investigate the affected machine and build environment. Rotate credentials it could access and rebuild from a trusted environment.
Evidence last updated: .
Source advisory published: .
This report uses published external intelligence. The advisory does not provide a separate source-code analysis for each listed version.
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