Malicious Code Injection in muda-poke49: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-160785: Malicious code in muda-poke49 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
muda-poke49 is an npm package that is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in muda-poke49 stems from its malicious payload that modifies the package.json file by removing private flags and changing version numbers. It generates random package names, often themed around Indonesian culture, and continuously republishes these variants to pollute the npm registry. This behavior not only affects the reputation of developers but also poses a risk of dependency confusion and potential exploitation of applications relying on these packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall muda-poke49If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a workaround, you can avoid using the muda-poke49 package altogether and consider alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, regularly audit your package dependencies using tools like npm audit.
Conclusion
The muda-poke49 package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies to maintain the integrity of their applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for muda-poke49 →
FAQ
The main issue is that it contains malicious code that modifies package.json files and floods the npm registry with derivative packages.
You can use tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application without any signup.
Using this package can lead to dependency confusion, reputation damage for developers, and potential exploitation of applications relying on the compromised packages.
Regularly audit your dependencies, use trusted sources for packages, and monitor for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert.
Remove the muda-poke49 package from your project immediately and replace it with a secure alternative.
