Malicious Code Injection in irma-kue4-breki: A Threat to npm Packages
Summary
MAL-2025-73522: Malicious code in irma-kue4-breki (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package 'irma-kue4-breki' is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. This package has been identified as part of a malicious campaign that aims to exploit npm's publishing system. It is designed to generate and publish derivative packages with randomized names, thereby inflating developer reputation scores for token rewards. The malicious behavior includes modifying package metadata to remove private flags and continuously republishing variants to pollute the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'irma-kue4-breki' stems from its association with a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with derivative packages. The malicious payload alters the package.json file, removing private flags and changing version numbers. This behavior can lead to the proliferation of untrustworthy packages in the npm ecosystem, potentially compromising the integrity of applications that depend on these packages. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which employs 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 irma-kue4-brekiIf 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 remove the 'irma-kue4-breki' package from your project by executing:
npm uninstall irma-kue4-breki
This will prevent any potential exploitation from the malicious code until a fix is released.
Conclusion
The 'irma-kue4-breki' package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code designed to exploit the npm ecosystem. It is crucial for developers to stay informed about such vulnerabilities and take proactive measures, such as updating or removing affected packages, to safeguard their applications.
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FAQ
The vulnerability involves malicious code that modifies package metadata and floods the npm registry with untrustworthy packages.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. Check your application using the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner.
Using this package can lead to the introduction of untrustworthy code into your application, potentially compromising security and stability.
Yes, tools like Vulert can automatically monitor your package-lock.json file for vulnerabilities without requiring code access or installation.
If no patched version is available, it is advisable to remove the package from your project to avoid any risks associated with the vulnerability.
