Malicious Code Injection in nokire-kore23: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-162710: Malicious code in nokire-kore23 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package 'nokire-kore23' 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 automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior not only inflates developer reputation scores but also poses a significant risk to the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'nokire-kore23' originates 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 security risks for developers who unknowingly integrate these packages into their projects. The malicious scripts (auto.js, autopublish.js, etc.) are designed to automate this process, making it difficult to trace the source of the issue.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall nokire-kore23If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can avoid using the 'nokire-kore23' package and any other packages associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes and consider using tools like Vulert to detect vulnerabilities in your dependencies.
Conclusion
The 'nokire-kore23' package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious behavior of modifying package files and republishing variants. It is crucial for developers to remain vigilant, regularly audit their dependencies, and utilize tools like Vulert to safeguard their applications from such vulnerabilities.
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FAQ
The primary risk is that it modifies package.json files and repopulates the npm registry with malicious variants, which can lead to security vulnerabilities in applications that use these packages.
You can check your package.json and package-lock.json files for any references to 'nokire-kore23'. Additionally, running 'npm ls nokire-kore23' will show if it is installed in your project.
You should immediately uninstall the package using 'npm uninstall nokire-kore23' and audit your dependencies for any other vulnerabilities.
Regularly audit your npm packages using 'npm audit', keep your dependencies updated, and consider using tools like Vulert to monitor for open-source vulnerabilities.
Vulert is a tool that monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file. You can check your application for vulnerabilities without any signup at the Vulert playground.
