Malicious Code Injection in nokire-akaza49: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-162262: Malicious code in nokire-akaza49 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package 'nokire-akaza49' is part of a series of malicious npm packages associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to manipulate the npm registry by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, posing a significant risk to the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'nokire-akaza49' stems from its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This results in the continuous republishing of variants that pollute the npm registry, potentially leading to confusion among developers and compromising the security of applications relying on these packages. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to the broader tea.xyz token reward scheme that exploits npm's publishing mechanisms.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall nokire-akaza49If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, avoid using 'nokire-akaza49' and any other packages that exhibit similar behavior. You can also use tools like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities. To check if your application is affected by this vulnerability, you can use the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner without any signup.
Conclusion
The 'nokire-akaza49' package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious behavior of manipulating package metadata and republishing variants. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies for similar vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity and security of their applications.
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FAQ
'nokire-akaza49' is a malicious npm package that is part of a campaign to inflate developer reputation scores through automated publishing of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, causing confusion and potential security risks for applications that inadvertently rely on these malicious packages.
You should uninstall 'nokire-akaza49' immediately using 'npm uninstall nokire-akaza49' and check for any other malicious packages in your dependencies.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software by analyzing your package-lock.json file.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by vulnerabilities without requiring any signup.
