Malicious Code Injection in muklis-9: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-160850: Malicious code in muklis-9 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package 'muklis-9' is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to automate the generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified to contain malicious scripts that compromise the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'muklis-9' originates from its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially affecting other developers by inflating reputation scores fraudulently. The malicious scripts are typically named auto.js, autopublish.js, autopublish2.js, and autopublish3.js.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall muklis-9If 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 prevent the installation of this malicious package by using the following command to uninstall it: 'npm uninstall muklis-9'. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The 'muklis-9' package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and inflates developer reputation scores. It is essential for developers to be vigilant and remove this package from their projects while utilizing tools like Vulert for ongoing monitoring.
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FAQ
The impact includes potential pollution of the npm registry and fraudulent inflation of developer reputation scores.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
If you have installed muklis-9, it is crucial to uninstall it immediately and check for any other affected packages.
Yes, Vulert provides a service that monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time.
The malicious code modifies the package.json file, removes private flags, and continuously republishes variants to the npm registry, which can lead to widespread issues.
