Malicious Code Injection in impressed_carp-smiletea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-104016: Malicious code in impressed_carp-smiletea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The impressed_carp-smiletea package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the generation and publication of derivative packages, often with randomized names, to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been compromised, leading to significant security concerns.
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 allows the package to continuously republish variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially compromising other projects that depend on it. The malicious code is designed to exploit the npm ecosystem, making it a serious threat to developers and users alike.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall impressed_carp-smiletea
If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can avoid using the impressed_carp-smiletea package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Always verify the integrity of packages before installation.
Conclusion
The impressed_carp-smiletea package poses a significant security threat due to its malicious code that alters package configurations and floods the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package from their projects and monitor for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert to ensure the security of their applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for impressed_carp-smiletea →
FAQ
The impressed_carp-smiletea package is part of a token reward campaign that generates and publishes derivative packages on npm, but it has been compromised with malicious code.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, removes private flags, and continuously republishes variants, which can lead to pollution of the npm registry and potential security risks for your project.
If you have installed the impressed_carp-smiletea package, you should uninstall it immediately using 'npm uninstall impressed_carp-smiletea' and look for secure alternatives.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software by analyzing your package-lock.json file. You can check your application for vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground without any signup.
Yes, you should look for reputable packages that offer similar functionality without the associated risks. Always check the package's reputation and reviews before installation.