Malicious Code Injection in ita-48 Package: npm Vulnerability Summary
Summary
MAL-2025-156965: Malicious code in ita-48 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The ita-48 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 in exchange 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-48 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, polluting the npm registry and potentially harming developers' reputations and project integrity. The source of this vulnerability is linked to the amazon-inspector findings, which highlight the package's role in a broader scheme of malicious npm packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall ita-48If 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 ita-48 package and any other packages associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Regularly audit your dependencies using tools like npm audit to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The ita-48 package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry. 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-48 →
FAQ
The ita-48 package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, affecting your project's integrity and potentially harming your developer reputation.
You should uninstall the ita-48 package immediately using the command: npm uninstall ita-48.
You can use tools like npm audit or services like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities in real-time.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
