Malicious Code Injection in inal-poke42 Package
Summary
MAL-2025-156429: Malicious code in inal-poke42 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The inal-poke42 package is part of the npm ecosystem, often utilized for various JavaScript applications. It is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been linked to a series of malicious packages that flood the npm registry. These packages are designed to manipulate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the inal-poke42 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 these variants. The primary risk is the pollution of the npm registry, which can compromise the integrity of the ecosystem and potentially expose users to further malicious activities.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall inal-poke42If 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-poke42 package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, regularly audit your npm packages using tools like npm audit to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The inal-poke42 package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry with harmful variants. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of your software.
See every vulnerability recorded for inal-poke42 →
FAQ
The inal-poke42 package is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign aimed at manipulating developer reputation scores.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, potentially leading to the republishing of harmful packages and compromising the integrity of your project.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall inal-poke42' and check for any dependencies that may be affected.
You can use tools like npm audit or services like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities in real-time.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
