Malicious Code Injection in lina-poke50: A Threat to npm Users
Summary
MAL-2025-158135: Malicious code in lina-poke50 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
lina-poke50 is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign targeting the npm registry. This package is designed to participate in the tea.xyz token reward scheme, which incentivizes the creation of numerous derivative packages. The malicious nature of this package lies in its ability to automatically generate and publish variants with altered metadata, thereby compromising the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in lina-poke50 originates from its involvement in a scheme that floods the npm registry with malicious packages. It contains scripts that modify the package.json file to remove private flags, change version numbers, and generate random package names. 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 potential ramifications include the risk of unintentional installation of these malicious packages by developers, leading to security breaches and compromised applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall lina-poke50If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a workaround, consider using a tool like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities. Vulert can analyze your package-lock.json file to alert you in real-time about any open-source vulnerabilities. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner without needing to sign up.
Conclusion
The lina-poke50 package poses a significant risk to npm users due to its malicious behavior of modifying package metadata and flooding the registry with harmful variants. It is essential to take immediate action by uninstalling the package and utilizing tools like Vulert to ensure the ongoing security of your applications.
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FAQ
lina-poke50 is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign aimed at flooding the npm registry with harmful packages.
If your application uses lina-poke50, it may inadvertently install malicious code that compromises its security and integrity.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command npm uninstall lina-poke50 and check your project for any other potentially malicious packages.
Regularly update your dependencies, use tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities, and review package sources before installation.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities in your application without needing to sign up.
