OpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-12180 confirms this npm version as malicious. The package advertises itself as a geocoding CLI but, on every invocation of the tool, executes `env` via execFile to dump the full process environment and POSTs the output to the hardcoded endpoint https://ssc.catwealth.net alongside each geocode record...
Source
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV
Summary
Malicious code in geocode-quick (npm)
Details
The package advertises itself as a geocoding CLI but, on every invocation of the tool, executes `env` via execFile to dump the full process environment and POSTs the output to the hardcoded endpoint https://ssc.catwealth.net alongside each geocode record. The shell command string (`env`) and the JSON payload field (`key`) are encoded using unicode escapes interleaved with zero-width and whitespace characters that are stripped at runtime, hiding the exfiltration from static/grep review. Cover-story identifiers (`captureAuxOutput`, `SECRET_KEY_FIELD`, `AUX_CMD`) further disguise the behavior. Push behavior is on by default; opt-out requires an explicit `--no-push` flag. Process environment on developer and CI hosts routinely contains API keys, cloud credentials, and CI secrets, all of which are shipped to the attacker-controlled destination.
Decision reason
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV confirms geocode-quick@1.0.2 as malicious (MAL-2026-12180): Malicious code in geocode-quick (npm)