Malicious Code Injection in cold_fish-toolteadev: A Threat to npm Packages
Summary
MAL-2025-100648: Malicious code in cold_fish-toolteadev (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The cold_fish-toolteadev package is part of the npm ecosystem, primarily used for development tools. However, it has been identified as part of a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with harmful packages. This package is designed to manipulate the npm registry by generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names, thereby inflating developer reputation scores for token rewards.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in cold_fish-toolteadev arises from its association with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. It contains scripts that automatically modify the package.json file to remove private flags, alter version numbers, and create random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially compromising the integrity of other packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall cold_fish-toolteadevIf 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 cold_fish-toolteadev package in your project. If it is already installed, you can uninstall it using the command: npm uninstall cold_fish-toolteadev.
Conclusion
The cold_fish-toolteadev package poses a significant risk due to its malicious behavior of altering package metadata and republishing harmful variants. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of their applications.
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FAQ
It is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign to manipulate the npm registry.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially compromising the integrity of other packages and affecting your project's dependencies.
You should uninstall the cold_fish-toolteadev package immediately and monitor for any updates or patches.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json file.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
