Malicious Code Detected in iqbal-poke65: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-156874: Malicious code in iqbal-poke65 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
iqbal-poke65 is an npm package that appears to be part of a token reward campaign associated with the tea.xyz protocol. This package, like many others in the campaign, is designed to inflate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. The malicious nature of this package poses a significant risk to the integrity of the npm registry and the developers relying on it.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in iqbal-poke65 originates from its association with a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with derivative packages. The malicious payload modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random names, which leads to the continuous republishing of these variants. This not only compromises the security of the npm ecosystem but also affects developers' ability to trust the packages they use.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall iqbal-poke65If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, avoid using iqbal-poke65 and any other packages that are part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Regularly audit your dependencies to ensure that no malicious packages are included in your project.
Conclusion
The iqbal-poke65 package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious nature. It is crucial for developers to be vigilant, remove any affected packages, and utilize tools like Vulert to monitor their projects for vulnerabilities.
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FAQ
iqbal-poke65 is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign designed to inflate developer reputation scores by flooding the npm registry with derivative packages.
The vulnerability can compromise the integrity of your project by introducing malicious code and potentially leading to security breaches.
You should immediately uninstall iqbal-poke65 using 'npm uninstall iqbal-poke65' and audit your project for any other malicious packages.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without needing to sign up.
