Malicious Code Vulnerability in kentung-2 Package
Summary
MAL-2025-157499: Malicious code in kentung-2 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The kentung-2 package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. It is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, this package has been identified as malicious due to its ability to modify package.json files and republish variants with altered names and version numbers, leading to potential pollution of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the kentung-2 package originates from its malicious intent to manipulate the npm registry. It includes scripts that remove private flags from package.json, change version numbers, and generate random package names. This behavior can lead to the proliferation of unwanted packages, potentially harming developers' reputations and polluting the npm ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall kentung-2If 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 kentung-2 package from your project by executing the following command: npm uninstall kentung-2. This will prevent any malicious scripts from executing until a secure version is available.
Conclusion
The kentung-2 package has been identified as containing malicious code that can manipulate package.json files and pollute the npm registry. It is crucial to take immediate action by updating or removing the package to safeguard your project from potential vulnerabilities.
See every vulnerability recorded for kentung-2 →
FAQ
The kentung-2 package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the generation and publication of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the modification of your package.json file, removal of private flags, and the creation of unwanted packages, which can harm your project's integrity.
Check the npm registry or the package's repository for any patched versions of the kentung-2 package. If a patch is available, update to that version.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software by analyzing your package-lock.json. You can also check your application against known vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground.
If immediate updates are not possible, consider removing the kentung-2 package from your project as a temporary measure to mitigate risks.
