Malicious Code Injection in basic_penguin-apptea: A Threat to npm Users
Summary
MAL-2025-99810: Malicious code in basic_penguin-apptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The basic_penguin-apptea package is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with malicious packages. This package is designed to automate the generation and publication of derivative packages, often with randomized names, to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. Its functionality is compromised by the presence of malicious scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in basic_penguin-apptea originates from its inclusion in a campaign that utilizes autopublish scripts to create and publish numerous derivative packages. These scripts modify the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names, which can lead to pollution of the npm registry. The ramifications include potential security risks for users who inadvertently install these malicious packages, as they may contain harmful code.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall basic_penguin-appteaIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a workaround, you can manually inspect your package-lock.json file for any instances of basic_penguin-apptea and remove it. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner without any signup.
Conclusion
The basic_penguin-apptea package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that manipulates package metadata and floods the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and utilize tools like Vulert to ensure their applications remain secure.
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FAQ
basic_penguin-apptea is an npm package that is part of a token reward campaign, which has been identified as containing malicious code.
The vulnerability can lead to the installation of malicious packages that may compromise the security of your application and its users.
You should remove the basic_penguin-apptea package from your project and monitor for any updates or patches.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities in real-time.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities without any signup.
