Malicious Code Vulnerability in inal-poke69: Exploiting npm Packages for Token Rewards
Summary
MAL-2025-156458: Malicious code in inal-poke69 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package 'inal-poke69' is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package, like others in the campaign, is designed to generate and publish derivative packages with randomized names. It aims to inflate developer reputation scores to gain token rewards, making it a target for malicious exploitation.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'inal-poke69' stems from its malicious code that modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of these variants, polluting the npm registry. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which employs autopublish scripts to automate the creation of these malicious packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall inal-poke69If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a workaround, you can temporarily avoid using 'inal-poke69' and any packages that depend on it. Additionally, consider using npm audit to identify and address vulnerabilities in your project's dependencies.
Conclusion
The 'inal-poke69' package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate npm registry entries. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor for updates or patches. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help maintain the security of your project by alerting you to vulnerabilities in real-time.
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FAQ
The malicious code can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and compromise the integrity of your project's dependencies.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application without any signup.
Immediately remove the package from your project and check for any other dependencies that may be affected.
Currently, there are no known patches for 'inal-poke69'. It is recommended to remove the package until a safe version is released.
The campaign incentivizes developers to publish packages by rewarding them with tokens, which has led to the creation of malicious packages like 'inal-poke69'.
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