Malicious Code Injection in kmvcnq-devapptea: A Threat to npm Users
Summary
MAL-2025-104837: Malicious code in kmvcnq-devapptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
kmvcnq-devapptea is an npm package that is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to interact with the npm registry, but it has been identified as malicious due to its involvement in generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. The primary functionality of this package is to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, which poses significant risks to users and the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded within the kmvcnq-devapptea package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also compromises the security of applications that depend on this package, potentially allowing for further exploitation.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall kmvcnq-devappteaIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a workaround, you can temporarily avoid using the kmvcnq-devapptea package by replacing it with a trusted alternative that provides similar functionality. Additionally, you can monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes.
Conclusion
The kmvcnq-devapptea package poses a significant threat to npm users due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and repopulates the npm registry with harmful variants. It is crucial to uninstall this package and monitor your projects for vulnerabilities to maintain security.
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FAQ
kmvcnq-devapptea is an npm package involved in a token reward campaign that has been identified as malicious due to its harmful behavior.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modifications in your package.json file and the introduction of malicious packages, compromising your application's security.
You should immediately uninstall the package using the command 'npm uninstall kmvcnq-devapptea' and review your project for any unauthorized changes.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check your application's vulnerability status using the Vulert playground without any signup.
No, there are no patches available for kmvcnq-devapptea as it is a malicious package. The best course of action is to remove it from your project.
