Malicious Code Injection in educational_crawdad_0xrequest Package
Summary
MAL-2025-101878: Malicious code in educational_crawdad_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The educational_crawdad_0xrequest package is part of the npm ecosystem, typically used for educational purposes. However, it has been identified as part of a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with derivative packages. This package is designed to manipulate developer reputation scores through automated publishing scripts.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the educational_crawdad_0xrequest package stems from its association with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. The package contains malicious code that modifies the package.json file by removing private flags and changing version numbers. It generates random package names and continuously republishes variants, leading to pollution of the npm registry. This can result in developers unknowingly using compromised packages, which may expose their applications to security risks.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall educational_crawdad_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 avoid using the educational_crawdad_0xrequest package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, you can monitor your dependencies using tools like Vulert, which can alert you to vulnerabilities in real-time.
Conclusion
The educational_crawdad_0xrequest package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that manipulates package metadata and floods the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the security of their applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for educational_crawdad_0xrequest →
FAQ
It is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign to inflate developer reputation scores through automated publishing.
The vulnerability can lead to the use of compromised packages, which may introduce security risks and affect the integrity of your application.
You should remove the educational_crawdad_0xrequest package from your project and monitor for any updates or patches.
You can use tools like Vulert, which allows you to monitor and alert for open-source vulnerabilities in your software without requiring code access.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
