Malicious Code Injection in Efficient Starfish Dumbs Package
Summary
MAL-2025-101898: Malicious code in efficient_starfish_dumbs (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'efficient_starfish_dumbs' package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. It is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, often with randomized names. This package aims to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, but it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises the integrity 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 leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially affecting other developers by inflating reputation scores artificially. 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 efficient_starfish_dumbsIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a workaround, you can temporarily avoid using the 'efficient_starfish_dumbs' package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks.
Conclusion
The 'efficient_starfish_dumbs' package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry. It is crucial to uninstall this package and monitor your projects for any vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help maintain the security of your applications.
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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 can compromise your project's integrity by polluting the npm registry and affecting your developer reputation.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall efficient_starfish_dumbs' and monitor your project for any unusual behavior.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just package-lock.json.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without needing to sign up.
