Malicious Code Injection in excessive_bedbug-smiletea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-102328: Malicious code in excessive_bedbug-smiletea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The excessive_bedbug-smiletea package is part of a broader campaign associated with the tea.xyz token reward initiative, which has been observed flooding the npm registry. This package, like others in the campaign, is designed to manipulate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. Its functionality is compromised by malicious scripts that alter package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's design, which includes autopublish scripts that modify the package.json file to remove private flags and change version numbers. This allows the package to continuously republish variants with random names, effectively polluting the npm registry. The malicious payload can lead to unintended consequences, such as the proliferation of untrustworthy packages and potential security risks for developers who unknowingly use these variants.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall excessive_bedbug-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 excessive_bedbug-smiletea package from your project by executing the following command: npm uninstall excessive_bedbug-smiletea. This will prevent any malicious code from executing until a safe version is available.
Conclusion
The excessive_bedbug-smiletea package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate npm registry behavior. It is crucial for developers to stay vigilant and regularly update their dependencies to safeguard their projects from such vulnerabilities.
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FAQ
It is a package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to manipulate npm registry reputation scores.
The vulnerability can lead to the proliferation of malicious packages in your project, potentially compromising security and stability.
You should uninstall the package immediately and monitor for any updates or patches that address the vulnerability.
Yes, you can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without needing to sign up.
