Malicious Code Injection in loyal_flyingfish-apptea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-105358: Malicious code in loyal_flyingfish-apptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The loyal_flyingfish-apptea package is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with various packages. These packages are designed to manipulate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. The functionality of this package is compromised due to the presence of malicious scripts that alter its metadata and behavior.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability stems from the inclusion of malicious code within the loyal_flyingfish-apptea package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of these variants. The origin of this issue is linked to a broader campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores for token rewards, which poses significant risks to the integrity of the npm registry and can lead to the proliferation of untrustworthy packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall loyal_flyingfish-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 loyal_flyingfish-apptea package and any other packages associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Regularly monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes.
Conclusion
The loyal_flyingfish-apptea package contains malicious code that compromises the integrity of npm packages. It is crucial to uninstall this package and monitor your project for any vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can aid in maintaining the security of your open-source dependencies.
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FAQ
It is a package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign that has been found to contain malicious code.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, potentially leading to the publication of untrustworthy packages and compromising your project's integrity.
You should uninstall the loyal_flyingfish-apptea package immediately and check for any other affected packages in your project.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json file. You can also check your application against known vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground.
Regularly audit your dependencies, use tools like Vulert for monitoring, and stay informed about known vulnerabilities in the packages you use.
