Malicious Code Injection in ita-8 Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-156971: Malicious code in ita-8 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The ita-8 package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate token rewards for developers by generating and publishing derivative packages. However, it has been compromised to include malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry with unwanted variants.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the ita-8 package originates from its association with a malicious campaign that aims to inflate developer reputation scores. The malicious code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, changing version numbers, and generating random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially compromising other projects that depend on these packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall ita-8If 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 prevent the installation of the ita-8 package by using npm's package-lock.json file to lock your dependencies. Additionally, you can use the following command to uninstall the package if it is already installed: npm uninstall ita-8.
Conclusion
The ita-8 package has been identified as containing malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry. It is crucial to remove this package from your project and monitor for updates or patches. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help you stay informed about vulnerabilities in your dependencies.
See every vulnerability recorded for ita-8 →
FAQ
The ita-8 package is part of a token reward campaign on npm that generates and publishes derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may compromise the integrity of your project's dependencies.
Currently, there is no patch available. It is advisable to remove the package until a secure version is released.
You can use Vulert to monitor your project for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time by analyzing your package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without needing to sign up.
