Malicious Code Injection in ita-25 Package: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-156940: Malicious code in ita-25 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The ita-25 package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the ita-25 package originates 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, polluting the npm registry and potentially harming developers who rely on the integrity of the ecosystem. The malicious scripts included in the package (auto.js, autopublish.js, etc.) are specifically designed to automate these harmful actions.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall ita-25If 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 avoid using the ita-25 package and instead utilize trusted packages that fulfill similar functionalities without the associated risks. Additionally, consider implementing package-lock.json monitoring tools like Vulert to keep track of vulnerabilities in your dependencies.
Conclusion
The ita-25 package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code that modifies package configurations and repopulates the registry with harmful variants. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of their projects.
See every vulnerability recorded for ita-25 →
FAQ
The ita-25 package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the publication of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially affecting the integrity of your project's dependencies and harming your reputation as a developer.
You should uninstall the ita-25 package immediately using the command npm uninstall ita-25 and monitor your project for any other vulnerabilities.
Yes, Vulert can monitor your project for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json file, providing alerts for any issues.
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