Malicious Code Injection in liberal_centipede-apptea: A Threat to npm Packages
Summary
MAL-2025-105114: Malicious code in liberal_centipede-apptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package liberal_centipede-apptea is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm ecosystem with malicious packages. These packages are designed to inflate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. The malicious nature of this package lies in its ability to modify critical files and republish variants, thereby polluting the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in liberal_centipede-apptea originates from its design to include autopublish scripts that manipulate the package.json file. This manipulation removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to a significant risk of reputation damage for developers and potential security threats for users. The continuous republishing of variants can clutter the npm registry, making it difficult for legitimate packages to be discovered.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall liberal_centipede-appteaIf 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 liberal_centipede-apptea package and look for alternative packages that do not exhibit malicious behavior. Additionally, you can monitor your project for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert, which can alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities without requiring code access or installation.
Conclusion
The liberal_centipede-apptea package poses a significant threat to npm users due to its malicious code designed to manipulate package data and inflate developer reputation scores. It is crucial to uninstall this package and monitor your projects for vulnerabilities to maintain security and integrity within your development environment.
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FAQ
liberal_centipede-apptea is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign to inflate developer reputation scores through automated package publishing.
The vulnerability can lead to reputation damage, security risks, and cluttering of the npm registry, making it harder to find legitimate packages.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command npm uninstall liberal_centipede-apptea.
Yes, you can use Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities in real-time 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 any signup.
