Malicious Code Injection in muklis-55: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-160841: Malicious code in muklis-55 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package muklis-55 is part of a series of malicious npm packages that emerged during the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to manipulate the npm registry by creating and publishing numerous derivative packages with altered names and metadata. The primary function of muklis-55 is to inflate developer reputation scores through automated scripts, which can lead to significant pollution of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in muklis-55 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. This behavior not only compromises the integrity of the npm registry but also poses risks to developers who may unknowingly use these tainted 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 muklis-55If 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 monitor your package dependencies using tools like Vulert. Vulert allows you to check for vulnerabilities in your application without requiring access to the code or installation. You can use the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner to see if your application is affected by this vulnerability.
Conclusion
The muklis-55 package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem by injecting malicious code and manipulating package metadata. It is crucial for developers to be vigilant and remove such packages from their projects. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help in monitoring and identifying vulnerabilities in real-time.
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FAQ
Muklis-55 is a malicious npm package that is part of a campaign to inflate developer reputation scores through automated publishing of derivative packages.
Using muklis-55 can compromise your application's security by introducing malicious code and polluting your project's dependencies.
You should immediately uninstall muklis-55 using 'npm uninstall muklis-55' and check your project for any other malicious packages.
You can use Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json file for vulnerabilities in real-time without needing to install any software.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by the muklis-55 vulnerability.
