Malicious Code Injection in kellymantea Package: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-98000: Malicious code in kellymantea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The kellymantea package is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. This package is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign that has been known to flood the npm registry with malicious packages. These packages often contain scripts designed to manipulate package metadata and inflate developer reputation scores, posing a significant risk to developers and users alike.
Vulnerability Detail
The kellymantea package contains malicious code that modifies the package.json file by removing private flags and changing version numbers. It generates random package names, often themed around Indonesian culture, and continuously republishes these variants to pollute the npm registry. This behavior can lead to security vulnerabilities, reputation damage for developers, and an overall compromised npm ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall kellymanteaIf 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 this package by using npm's package-lock.json file to monitor dependencies. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in your project. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner without any signup.
Conclusion
The kellymantea package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods 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 kellymantea →
FAQ
kellymantea is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign to inflate developer reputation scores through the creation of derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, potentially exposing your project to further vulnerabilities and damaging your reputation as a developer.
You should uninstall the kellymantea package immediately using 'npm uninstall kellymantea' and check for any other affected packages.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities in your application without signing up.
