Malicious Code Injection in Growing Squirrel 0xRequest Package
Summary
MAL-2025-103411: Malicious code in growing_squirrel_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'growing_squirrel_0xrequest' package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate token rewards through automated publishing scripts. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises its integrity and the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability stems 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 is intended to inflate developer reputation scores and pollute the npm registry with derivative packages. The origin of this issue is linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has flooded npm with similar malicious packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall growing_squirrel_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 prevent the installation of this package by using npm's package-lock.json file to lock your dependencies. Additionally, you can monitor your project for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert, which can alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The 'growing_squirrel_0xrequest' package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters project files and pollutes the npm registry. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of your projects.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the publishing of derivative packages.
The malicious code can compromise your project's integrity by modifying essential files and flooding the npm registry with unwanted packages.
You should remove the package immediately and monitor your project for any signs of compromise.
Yes, regularly update your dependencies and use tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in real-time.
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