Malicious Code Injection in kentung-5 Package: npm Vulnerability Overview
Summary
MAL-2025-157531: Malicious code in kentung-5 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The kentung-5 package is part of the npm ecosystem, primarily used for JavaScript development. It is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been linked to a series of malicious packages flooding the npm registry. These packages are designed to manipulate developer reputation scores by generating and publishing numerous derivative packages with randomized names.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the kentung-5 package originates from its design to include autopublish scripts that modify the package.json file. This includes removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. The malicious payload continuously republishes these variants, leading to pollution of the npm registry and potential exploitation of developers' reputations.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall kentung-5If 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 kentung-5 package by using the npm command: npm uninstall kentung-5. Additionally, consider using npm audit to identify and address other vulnerabilities in your project.
Conclusion
The kentung-5 package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate npm registry entries. It is essential to remove this package and monitor your project for any vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of your software development environment.
See every vulnerability recorded for kentung-5 →
FAQ
The kentung-5 package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been identified as malicious.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may compromise your project's integrity by modifying package configurations.
You should uninstall the kentung-5 package immediately and monitor your project for any other vulnerabilities.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check your application using the Vulert playground without any signup.
Regularly audit your dependencies using tools like npm audit and consider using services like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in real-time.
