Malicious Code Injection in curious_cephalopod-smiletea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-101145: Malicious code in curious_cephalopod-smiletea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The curious_cephalopod-smiletea package is part of the npm ecosystem and was associated with a token reward campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores. This package is designed to facilitate the generation and publication of derivative packages, which can lead to significant pollution of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior is intended to create numerous derivative packages that clutter the npm registry, potentially leading to security risks and reputation damage for developers. The package is part of a broader scheme that exploits the npm ecosystem for token rewards, making it a significant threat.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall curious_cephalopod-smileteaIf 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 avoid using the curious_cephalopod-smiletea package and any other packages that may be part of the same token reward scheme. Regularly audit your dependencies to ensure no malicious packages are included.
Conclusion
The curious_cephalopod-smiletea package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that modifies package configurations and floods the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of their projects.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with a token reward campaign that generates and publishes derivative packages to inflate developer reputation scores.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially causing security risks and affecting the reputation of developers using the package.
You should remove the curious_cephalopod-smiletea package from your project and monitor for any updates or patches.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors and alerts in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities using just your package-lock.json file.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without requiring any signup.
