Malicious Code Injection in cbnkaj-devapptea Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-100297: Malicious code in cbnkaj-devapptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The cbnkaj-devapptea package is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been associated with a series of malicious npm packages. These packages are designed to inflate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. The functionality of cbnkaj-devapptea is compromised due to its malicious payload, which alters package metadata and continuously republishes variants to pollute the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the cbnkaj-devapptea package stems from its inclusion in a campaign that floods the npm registry with malicious packages. The malicious code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, changing version numbers, and generating random package names, which can lead to reputation inflation and registry pollution. This poses significant risks to developers relying on npm for legitimate packages, as it can obscure genuine packages and compromise the integrity of the ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall cbnkaj-devappteaIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can avoid using the cbnkaj-devapptea package and any other packages associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes and consider using tools like Vulert to track vulnerabilities in your dependencies.
Conclusion
The cbnkaj-devapptea package poses a significant threat due to its malicious code designed to manipulate npm package metadata and inflate developer reputation scores. It is essential for developers to be vigilant and remove such packages from their projects to maintain the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
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FAQ
cbnkaj-devapptea is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores through the automatic generation of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, making it difficult to find legitimate packages and potentially compromising the security of your project.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command npm uninstall cbnkaj-devapptea and review your project for any other potentially malicious dependencies.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time, alerting you to any issues.
No, there is no patch available for cbnkaj-devapptea as it is a malicious package. The best course of action is to remove it from your project.
