Malicious Code Injection in big_peafowl-smiletea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-99969: Malicious code in big_peafowl-smiletea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The big_peafowl-smiletea package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the generation and publication of derivative packages, often with randomized names, to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious scripts that compromise its integrity and the security of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability stems from the presence of malicious code within the big_peafowl-smiletea package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of these variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses a risk to developers who may unknowingly use these compromised packages, potentially leading to further exploitation.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall big_peafowl-smileteaIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can avoid using the big_peafowl-smiletea package and any packages that may depend on it. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json file for vulnerabilities in real-time. 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 big_peafowl-smiletea package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and pollutes the npm registry. It is essential to remove this package from your projects and utilize tools like Vulert for ongoing vulnerability monitoring.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, removes private flags, and can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially affecting your project's integrity.
You should uninstall the big_peafowl-smiletea package immediately using the command npm uninstall big_peafowl-smiletea.
You can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application.
There are no patches for the big_peafowl-smiletea package itself, so the best course of action is to remove it from your project.
