Malicious Code Injection in lintang-tea99: A Threat to npm Users
Summary
MAL-2025-158264: Malicious code in lintang-tea99 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
lintang-tea99 is an npm package that is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to interact with the npm registry, allowing developers to publish their packages and contribute to the ecosystem. However, it has been identified as a malicious package that employs scripts to manipulate its own metadata and create numerous derivative packages, which can lead to reputation inflation and registry pollution.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in lintang-tea99 originates from its malicious code, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags and alter version numbers. It generates random package names, often themed around Indonesian culture, and continuously republishes these variants to the npm registry. This behavior not only compromises the integrity of the npm ecosystem but also poses risks to developers who may unknowingly install these malicious packages, leading to potential security breaches in their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall lintang-tea99If 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 use the following command to prevent the installation of the lintang-tea99 package and its derivatives: npm audit fix --force. This command will help identify and fix vulnerabilities in your project, but be cautious as it may also update other packages.
Conclusion
The lintang-tea99 package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and creates derivative packages. It is crucial for developers to be vigilant, remove any affected packages, and utilize tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in their projects.
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FAQ
lintang-tea99 is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been identified as malicious due to its harmful scripts.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, removes private flags, and creates numerous unwanted derivative packages, which can lead to security vulnerabilities.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command npm uninstall lintang-tea99 and check for any other affected packages.
Yes, regularly audit your dependencies using tools like npm audit and consider using Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities in real-time.
Vulert is a tool that monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file, without requiring code access or installation.
