Malicious Code Injection in manus-tavauil-maoi Package
Summary
MAL-2025-160107: Malicious code in manus-tavauil-maoi (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The manus-tavauil-maoi package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious scripts that compromise its integrity and the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from malicious code embedded in the manus-tavauil-maoi 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. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses a risk to developers who may unknowingly use these compromised packages, potentially leading to security breaches in their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall manus-tavauil-maoiIf 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 manus-tavauil-maoi package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks.
Conclusion
The manus-tavauil-maoi package has been identified as containing malicious code that poses significant risks to developers and the integrity of the npm registry. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to ensure the security of your applications.
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FAQ
The malicious code can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may compromise the security of applications that depend on this package.
You can use Vulert to monitor and alert for open-source vulnerabilities in your software. Visit Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without requiring any signup.
You should uninstall the package immediately and consider using alternative packages that do not have known vulnerabilities.
Regularly monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert and keep your packages updated to the latest secure versions.
Signs include unusual behavior such as modifying package.json files, generating random names, or excessive republishing of variants.
