Malicious Code Injection in digital_minnow-smiletea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-101573: Malicious code in digital_minnow-smiletea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The digital_minnow-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 generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that alter its functionality and impact the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded in the digital_minnow-smiletea 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 variants. The ramifications include pollution of the npm registry, potential security risks for developers using these packages, and damage to the reputation of the npm ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall digital_minnow-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 remove the digital_minnow-smiletea package from your project by executing: npm uninstall digital_minnow-smiletea. This will prevent any malicious code from executing until a fixed version is available.
Conclusion
The digital_minnow-smiletea package has been compromised with malicious code that poses significant risks to developers and the npm ecosystem. It is crucial to take immediate action by updating or removing the package and utilizing tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in 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 file, removes private flags, and can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially affecting your project's integrity.
You should uninstall the package immediately and monitor for any updates or patches that may be released.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities using just your package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without requiring any signup.
