Malicious Code Injection in muda-poke4: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-160775: Malicious code in muda-poke4 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
muda-poke4 is an npm package that is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to interact with the npm registry and is typically used for various development purposes. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that can compromise the integrity of the npm ecosystem by generating and publishing derivative packages with harmful scripts.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in muda-poke4 originates from its association with a malicious campaign that aims to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. The malicious payload modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of variants that pollute the npm registry. This can result in developers unknowingly using compromised packages, leading to potential security risks in their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall muda-poke4If 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 remove the muda-poke4 package from your project by executing the command: 'npm uninstall muda-poke4'. This will prevent any malicious code from executing until a patched version is available.
Conclusion
The muda-poke4 package has been identified as a threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and repackages itself. It is crucial for developers to take immediate action by updating or removing the package to safeguard their applications from potential risks.
See every vulnerability recorded for muda-poke4 →
FAQ
The impact includes potential exposure to malicious code that can alter your project's dependencies and compromise security.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application without any signup.
If an immediate update is not possible, consider removing the package as a temporary measure to mitigate risks.
The malicious code modifies package.json files, removes private flags, and generates random package names, leading to the creation of numerous compromised packages.
Regularly audit your dependencies, use tools like Vulert for monitoring, and ensure you only install packages from trusted sources.
