Malicious Code Injection in Criminal Angelfish 0xRequest Package
Summary
MAL-2025-101072: Malicious code in criminal_angelfish_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'criminal_angelfish_0xrequest' package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious scripts that compromise its integrity and the security of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded within the 'criminal_angelfish_0xrequest' package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of these variants. The ramifications include pollution of the npm registry and potential exploitation of developers' reputations, as well as the risk of further malicious activities stemming from these derivative packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall criminal_angelfish_0xrequestIf 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 'criminal_angelfish_0xrequest' in its dependencies. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities in real-time.
Conclusion
The 'criminal_angelfish_0xrequest' package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that alters package configurations and can lead to further exploitation. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert to maintain the security of your projects.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json, removes private flags, and can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, affecting your project's integrity.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall criminal_angelfish_0xrequest' and check for any other affected packages.
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.
