Malicious Code Injection in blind_chimpanzee-smiletea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-100007: Malicious code in blind_chimpanzee-smiletea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The blind_chimpanzee-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 automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises its integrity and the security of applications using it.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the blind_chimpanzee-smiletea package originates from its design to automatically modify package.json files. It removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which leads to the continuous republishing of variants that pollute the npm registry. This malicious behavior can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data and can severely impact the reputation of developers and the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall blind_chimpanzee-smileteaIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
Currently, the best workaround is to avoid using the blind_chimpanzee-smiletea package altogether. If it is already in use, uninstall it immediately and replace it with a trusted alternative package that does not exhibit malicious behavior.
Conclusion
The blind_chimpanzee-smiletea package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that modifies package.json files and repopulates the npm registry with harmful variants. It is crucial for developers to uninstall this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities to maintain security and integrity.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the generation and publication of packages.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modifications in your package.json file, potentially exposing sensitive data and compromising your application's integrity.
You should uninstall the blind_chimpanzee-smiletea package immediately and check your package-lock.json for any references to it.
As of now, there is no patch available for the blind_chimpanzee-smiletea package. The recommended action is to remove it from your project.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file. You can check your application for vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground without any signup.
