Malicious Code Injection in determined_wildcat-smiletea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-101383: Malicious code in determined_wildcat-smiletea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The determined_wildcat-smiletea 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 code that compromises its integrity and the security of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants that pollute the npm registry, potentially affecting developers and users relying on legitimate packages. The malicious scripts included in the package (auto.js, autopublish.js, etc.) are designed to automate these harmful actions.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall determined_wildcat-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 prevent the installation of this package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to check for vulnerabilities in your application without requiring code access. You can use the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner to assess if your application is affected by this vulnerability.
Conclusion
The determined_wildcat-smiletea package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that modifies essential files and floods the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities to maintain security and integrity.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the generation and publication of derivative packages.
The malicious code can compromise your project's integrity by modifying package.json and flooding the npm registry with harmful variants.
You should uninstall the determined_wildcat-smiletea package immediately and check for any dependencies that may rely on it.
Yes, you can use Vulert to monitor your project for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just the package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without needing to sign up.
