Malicious Code Injection in inal-poke2 Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-156404: Malicious code in inal-poke2 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The inal-poke2 package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. It is designed to facilitate token rewards through the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages. This package, like others in the campaign, is characterized by its use of scripts that manipulate package metadata to inflate developer reputation scores.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the inal-poke2 package stems from its malicious code that modifies the package.json file. This code removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of variants that pollute the npm registry. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to a campaign aimed at exploiting npm for token rewards, which poses significant risks to developers by compromising the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall inal-poke2If 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 avoid using the inal-poke2 package and replace it with a trusted alternative. Ensure that your package.json does not include any references to this malicious package.
Conclusion
The inal-poke2 package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package from their projects and monitor their dependencies for vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help maintain the security of your applications.
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FAQ
The inal-poke2 package is a malicious npm package associated with a token reward campaign that manipulates package metadata for fraudulent purposes.
The vulnerability can compromise the integrity of your project by introducing malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry with unwanted packages.
You should immediately uninstall the inal-poke2 package using 'npm uninstall inal-poke2' and review your project for any other potentially malicious packages.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check your application for vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground without any signup.
Yes, you should look for trusted packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks of malicious code.
