Malicious Code Injection in kentung-27: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-157507: Malicious code in kentung-27 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The kentung-27 package is part of a larger set of packages associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to manipulate the npm registry by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for rewards, posing a significant risk to the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in kentung-27 arises from its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This leads to the continuous republishing of these variants, effectively polluting the npm registry. The origin of this issue is linked to the broader campaign that exploits npm's publishing mechanisms, potentially leading to reputational damage for developers and increased difficulty in managing legitimate packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall kentung-27If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can prevent the installation of malicious packages by using npm's audit feature. Run 'npm audit' to identify vulnerabilities in your dependencies and take necessary actions to mitigate risks.
Conclusion
The kentung-27 package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious behavior of modifying package metadata and republishing variants. It is essential to take immediate action by uninstalling the package and monitoring your project for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of your software.
See every vulnerability recorded for kentung-27 →
FAQ
Kentung-27 is an npm package associated with a token reward campaign that generates and publishes derivative packages to inflate developer reputation scores.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, making it difficult to manage legitimate packages and potentially harming your project's reputation.
You should uninstall the kentung-27 package immediately using 'npm uninstall kentung-27' and check your project for any other affected packages.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check your application using the Vulert playground without any signup.
Yes, tools like npm audit can help identify vulnerabilities in your dependencies, and Vulert can provide real-time alerts for open-source vulnerabilities.
