Malicious Code Injection in cook-tea-archive: A Threat to npm Users
Summary
MAL-2025-100992: Malicious code in cook-tea-archive (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The cook-tea-archive package is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm ecosystem with malicious packages. These packages are designed to manipulate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with random names. This behavior not only clutters the npm registry but also poses significant security risks to users who may unknowingly install these compromised packages.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in cook-tea-archive originates from its association with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. The package contains scripts that modify the package.json file to remove private flags, change version numbers, and generate random package names. This malicious behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially compromising the security of applications that depend on these packages. Users may inadvertently install these malicious packages, leading to unauthorized access or data breaches.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall cook-tea-archiveIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary workaround, avoid using the cook-tea-archive package and consider using alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Regularly audit your dependencies to ensure no malicious packages are included.
Conclusion
The cook-tea-archive package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate npm's ecosystem. Users are advised to uninstall this package and monitor their dependencies for similar vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can aid in maintaining the security of your applications.
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FAQ
The cook-tea-archive package is part of a campaign that floods npm with malicious packages aimed at manipulating developer reputation scores.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, and the pollution of the npm registry, affecting the integrity of your application.
You should uninstall the package immediately using npm uninstall cook-tea-archive and check your package-lock.json for any references.
Yes, tools like Vulert can monitor your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access or installation.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
