Malicious Code Injection in interior_monkey_0xrequest Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-104340: Malicious code in interior_monkey_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The interior_monkey_0xrequest package is part of a series of npm packages that emerged during the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to automate the generation and publication of derivative packages, often with random names, to inflate developer reputation scores. This behavior poses significant risks to the integrity of the npm registry and the security of applications relying on these packages.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the interior_monkey_0xrequest package stems from its malicious payload, which 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 variants that pollute the npm registry, potentially compromising the security of applications that depend on these packages. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which exploits npm's publishing mechanisms.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall interior_monkey_0xrequestIf 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 interior_monkey_0xrequest package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, you can monitor your project for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert, which can alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities without requiring code access or installation.
Conclusion
The interior_monkey_0xrequest package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious behavior of modifying package files and republishing variants. It is crucial to remove this package from your project and monitor for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert to ensure the security of your applications.
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FAQ
The interior_monkey_0xrequest package is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores through automated package publishing.
This vulnerability can compromise the integrity of your application by introducing malicious code that modifies your package.json file and republishing variants that pollute the npm registry.
You should uninstall the interior_monkey_0xrequest package immediately and check your package-lock.json file for any references to it.
Yes, you can use Vulert to monitor your project for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. It requires only your package-lock.json file to provide alerts.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
