Malicious Code Injection in kvgnvn-devapptea: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-104961: Malicious code in kvgnvn-devapptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
kvgnvn-devapptea is an npm package that is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate token rewards through various scripts that automate the generation and publication of derivative packages. However, it has been identified as malicious, containing scripts that manipulate its own metadata and proliferate harmful variants across the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in kvgnvn-devapptea stems from its malicious code that modifies the package.json file to remove private flags and change version numbers. It generates random package names, primarily themed around Indonesian culture, and continuously republishes these variants. This behavior not only inflates developer reputation scores for token rewards but also pollutes the npm registry, making it difficult for developers to find legitimate packages. The origin of this issue is linked to the broader trend of malicious packages flooding the npm ecosystem, often aimed at exploiting developer incentives.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall kvgnvn-devappteaIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary workaround, avoid using the kvgnvn-devapptea package and monitor your project for any dependencies that may have inadvertently included it. Regularly check your package-lock.json file for any signs of this malicious package.
Conclusion
The kvgnvn-devapptea package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code that manipulates package metadata and proliferates harmful variants. It is essential for developers to be vigilant and remove this package from their projects to maintain security and integrity.
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FAQ
kvgnvn-devapptea is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the publication of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the proliferation of malicious packages in your project, potentially compromising its integrity and security.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command: npm uninstall kvgnvn-devapptea.
You can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can also check your application for this specific vulnerability using the Vulert playground without any signup.
Currently, there are no patches available for kvgnvn-devapptea. The best course of action is to remove the package from your project.
