Malicious Code Injection in cold_pigeon_dumbs Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-100652: Malicious code in cold_pigeon_dumbs (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The cold_pigeon_dumbs package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate automatic publishing of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry with variants.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the cold_pigeon_dumbs package stems from its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of these variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially compromising the integrity of other packages. The origin of this issue is linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which employs autopublish scripts to automate the creation of these malicious packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall cold_pigeon_dumbsIf 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 prevent the installation of this package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. Ensure that your project does not include cold_pigeon_dumbs by regularly auditing your dependencies with 'npm audit'.
Conclusion
The cold_pigeon_dumbs package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects and monitor your dependencies to maintain the integrity of your applications.
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FAQ
cold_pigeon_dumbs is an npm package that is part of a token reward campaign and is known for containing malicious code that modifies package metadata.
The malicious code can alter your package.json file, remove private flags, and flood the npm registry with variants, potentially compromising your project's integrity.
You can use Vulert's playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without needing to sign up.
If you have installed cold_pigeon_dumbs, you should uninstall it immediately using 'npm uninstall cold_pigeon_dumbs' and audit your dependencies.
Currently, there is no patched version of cold_pigeon_dumbs available. The best course of action is to remove the package from your project.
