Malicious Code Injection in fair_cat_0xrequest Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-102499: Malicious code in fair_cat_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
The fair_cat_0xrequest package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate interactions with the tea protocol, but it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that can manipulate package metadata and publish unauthorized variants.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the fair_cat_0xrequest package stems from its inclusion in a series of malicious packages that automatically generate and publish derivative packages with altered metadata. These packages are designed to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, leading to potential abuse of the npm registry. The malicious payload modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which can lead to pollution of the npm ecosystem and compromise the integrity of applications relying on this package.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall fair_cat_0xrequest
If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a workaround, you can temporarily remove the package from your project and replace its functionality with an alternative package that does not have known vulnerabilities. Ensure to audit your dependencies regularly to avoid similar issues.
Conclusion
The fair_cat_0xrequest package has been identified as containing malicious code that can compromise the integrity of applications using it. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the security of your software.
See every vulnerability recorded for fair_cat_0xrequest →
FAQ
The fair_cat_0xrequest package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to facilitate interactions with the tea protocol.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modifications of your application's dependencies, potentially compromising its security and integrity.
You should remove the fair_cat_0xrequest package from your project immediately and consider using an alternative package.
Yes, you can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.