Malicious Code Injection in nokire-kilua50: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-162641: Malicious code in nokire-kilua50 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
The package 'nokire-kilua50' 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 creating and publishing derivative packages with random names, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. The malicious nature of this package poses a significant risk to developers and the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'nokire-kilua50' originates from its design to execute autopublish scripts that modify the package.json file. It removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of these variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also compromises the security and reliability of dependent projects, potentially leading to unauthorized access or data breaches.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall nokire-kilua50If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can avoid using 'nokire-kilua50' and any other suspicious packages. Monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes and consider using tools like Vulert to keep track of vulnerabilities in your dependencies.
Conclusion
The 'nokire-kilua50' 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 from their projects and utilize tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in their dependencies.
See every vulnerability recorded for nokire-kilua50 →
FAQ
'nokire-kilua50' is a malicious npm package that is part of a campaign to manipulate the npm registry by publishing derivative packages with random names.
This vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, compromising the integrity of your project and potentially exposing it to security risks.
You should uninstall 'nokire-kilua50' immediately using the command 'npm uninstall nokire-kilua50' and check for any other malicious dependencies.
Regularly audit your dependencies, use tools like Vulert to monitor vulnerabilities, and stay updated on security advisories related to your packages.
Vulert is a tool that monitors and alerts you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file. You can check if your application is affected by vulnerabilities without any signup at the Vulert playground.
