Malicious Code Injection in inappropriate_eagle-smiletea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-104048: Malicious code in inappropriate_eagle-smiletea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The inappropriate_eagle-smiletea package is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign that has infiltrated the npm ecosystem. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which are often used to inflate developer reputation scores for rewards. The package's functionality revolves around creating and publishing various versions of itself, which can lead to significant pollution of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded within the inappropriate_eagle-smiletea package. This code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. The result is a continuous republishing of these variants, which not only clutters the npm registry but also poses risks to developers who may unknowingly install these compromised packages. The malicious payload is specifically designed to exploit the npm ecosystem, leading to potential security breaches and loss of trust in the affected packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall inappropriate_eagle-smileteaIf 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 inappropriate_eagle-smiletea package altogether. If it is a dependency of another package, consider looking for alternative packages that do not have known vulnerabilities. Additionally, you can use tools like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities in real-time.
Conclusion
The inappropriate_eagle-smiletea package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that modifies project configurations and repopulates the npm registry with compromised packages. It is essential to remove this package and monitor your project for vulnerabilities to maintain security and trust in your development environment.
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FAQ
It is a package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages automatically.
The vulnerability can lead to the installation of malicious packages that modify your project's configuration and potentially compromise its security.
You should uninstall the inappropriate_eagle-smiletea package immediately and check for any other affected packages in your project.
You can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access or installation.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities in your application without any signup.
