Malicious Code Injection in lengthy_earwig-smiletea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-105070: Malicious code in lengthy_earwig-smiletea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The lengthy_earwig-smiletea package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which are often used to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious scripts that compromise its integrity and the security of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the lengthy_earwig-smiletea package originates from its inclusion in a campaign that floods the npm registry with malicious packages. The package contains scripts that modify the package.json file to remove private flags, alter version numbers, and generate random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses a risk to developers who may unknowingly install these compromised packages, potentially leading to further exploitation.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall lengthy_earwig-smileteaIf 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 avoid using the lengthy_earwig-smiletea package and replace it with a trusted alternative. Always verify the integrity of packages before installation.
Conclusion
The lengthy_earwig-smiletea package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that modifies package metadata and floods the npm registry. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the security of your applications.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the installation of malicious packages that may compromise your project's security and integrity.
You should uninstall the lengthy_earwig-smiletea package immediately using the command npm uninstall lengthy_earwig-smiletea.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software by analyzing your package-lock.json file.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities in your application without requiring any signup.
