Malicious Code Injection in crabalar-notthedevs Package
Summary
MAL-2025-101045: Malicious code in crabalar-notthedevs (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
The crabalar-notthedevs package is part of the npm ecosystem, often utilized in various JavaScript applications. It is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with derivative packages. This package, like others in the campaign, is designed to manipulate developer reputation scores through automated publishing scripts.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the crabalar-notthedevs package stems from its malicious code that modifies the package.json file. It removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of these variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses a risk to developers who may unknowingly use these compromised packages, potentially leading to security breaches in their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall crabalar-notthedevsIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can avoid using the crabalar-notthedevs package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The crabalar-notthedevs package contains malicious code that poses a significant risk to developers and their applications. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert to ensure the security of your projects.
See every vulnerability recorded for crabalar-notthedevs →
FAQ
The crabalar-notthedevs package is an npm package linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which aims to inflate developer reputation scores through automated publishing.
The vulnerability can lead to the injection of malicious code into your application, potentially compromising its security and integrity.
You should uninstall the crabalar-notthedevs package immediately and check for any dependencies that may also be affected.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for 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.
