OpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-12076 confirms this npm version as malicious. The package advertises itself as an in-memory cache utility, but index.js unconditionally requires _compat.js on load, which acts as a dropper. _compat.js selects a platform-specific endpoint from an obfuscated list of hosts assembled at runtime via Array.join (oob-worker.cf*.workers.dev and *.dl.well1.site), downloads an opaque native binary over HTTPS, and falls back to a DNS-TXT covert channel that queries a...
Source
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV
Summary
Malicious code in tinkoff-cache-path (npm)
Details
The package advertises itself as an in-memory cache utility, but index.js unconditionally requires _compat.js on load, which acts as a dropper. _compat.js selects a platform-specific endpoint from an obfuscated list of hosts assembled at runtime via Array.join (oob-worker.cf*.workers.dev and *.dl.well1.site), downloads an opaque native binary over HTTPS, and falls back to a DNS-TXT covert channel that queries a count record at c.<domain> and reassembles numbered base64 TXT chunks into an executable buffer. The payload is written under /var/tmp or %TEMP% with a disguised name (.cache_<rand> on Unix, dotnet_diag_<rand>.exe on Windows), chmod +x, and spawned detached via cp.spawn("/bin/sh", ["-c", fp + " &"], {detached:true}).unref() or spawn("cmd",...). A.analytics_state marker file and DO_NOT_TRACK-shaped environment opt-outs are used as cover. The declared purpose (caching) has no relationship to fetching and executing a native binary from attacker-controlled infrastructure.
Decision reason
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV confirms tinkoff-cache-path@20.8.3 as malicious (MAL-2026-12076): Malicious code in tinkoff-cache-path (npm)