Malicious Code Vulnerability in colonial_tern-apptea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-100672: Malicious code in colonial_tern-apptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The colonial_tern-apptea package is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with various packages. This package is designed to facilitate token rewards for developers by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages. However, it has been compromised to include malicious code that can affect the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded in the colonial_tern-apptea package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which leads to the continuous republishing of these variants. The ramifications include pollution of the npm registry, potential security risks for developers using these packages, and damage to the reputation of legitimate packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall colonial_tern-appteaIf 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 the colonial_tern-apptea package by using npm's package-lock.json file to lock your dependencies. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities in real-time.
Conclusion
The colonial_tern-apptea package contains malicious code that poses a significant risk to developers and the npm ecosystem. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help maintain the security of your projects.
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FAQ
The colonial_tern-apptea package is part of a token reward campaign that generates and publishes derivative packages on npm.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file and can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, affecting the integrity of your project.
You can use Vulert's playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without needing to sign up.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command 'npm uninstall colonial_tern-apptea' and monitor your dependencies for any other vulnerabilities.
Yes, Vulert can monitor and alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities using just your package-lock.json file.
