Malicious Code Injection in Devoted Spider Package: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-101412: Malicious code in devoted_spider-teagooddev (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'devoted_spider-teagooddev' package is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with malicious packages. These packages are designed to manipulate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. The malicious nature of this package lies in its ability to alter the package.json file, removing private flags and changing version numbers, thus compromising the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
This vulnerability originates from the package's design to include autopublish scripts that create and publish numerous variants of itself, which can lead to pollution of the npm registry. The malicious payload modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, allowing unauthorized access and modifications. The continuous republishing of these variants can inflate developer reputation scores fraudulently, posing significant risks to developers and users relying on npm packages for their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall devoted_spider-teagooddevIf 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 'devoted_spider-teagooddev' package and replace it with a reputable alternative that serves the same purpose without the associated risks. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities in real-time.
Conclusion
The 'devoted_spider-teagooddev' package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious design aimed at manipulating developer reputation scores. It is essential to remove this package from your projects and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of your applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for devoted_spider-teagooddev →
FAQ
It is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign aimed at manipulating developer reputation scores through the creation of numerous derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modifications of your package.json file and can pollute the npm registry, potentially compromising your application's integrity.
You should uninstall the 'devoted_spider-teagooddev' package immediately using the command 'npm uninstall devoted_spider-teagooddev'.
You can use Vulert, which allows you to monitor your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access or installation.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
