Malicious Code Injection in kentung-4: A Threat to npm Packages
Summary
MAL-2025-157521: Malicious code in kentung-4 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
The package 'kentung-4' is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. It is designed to facilitate the development and distribution of JavaScript applications. However, 'kentung-4' has been identified as part of a malicious campaign that aims to manipulate the npm registry by generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names, thereby inflating developer reputation scores for token rewards.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'kentung-4' originates from its involvement in the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package contains scripts that automatically modify the package.json file to remove private flags, alter version numbers, and create random package names. The malicious payload continuously republishes these variants, leading to pollution of the npm registry and potential security risks for developers relying on these packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall kentung-4If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can avoid using 'kentung-4' and any packages that depend on it. Additionally, consider using a tool like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities. 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 'kentung-4' package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities to maintain security and integrity.
See every vulnerability recorded for kentung-4 →
FAQ
'kentung-4' is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign to manipulate the npm registry.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may compromise the security of your project by introducing malicious code.
You should remove 'kentung-4' from your project and monitor for any updates or patches that may be released.
Yes, Vulert allows you to monitor and alert in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities using just your package-lock.json file.
Regularly update your dependencies, use tools like Vulert for monitoring, and review package sources before installation.
