Malicious Code Injection in Nuclear Whale 0xRequest Package
Summary
MAL-2025-106407: Malicious code in nuclear_whale_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The Nuclear Whale 0xRequest package is part of the npm ecosystem, primarily used for web development and JavaScript applications. It is designed to facilitate requests and manage responses in a streamlined manner. However, this package has been identified as part of a malicious campaign that exploits npm's publishing capabilities, leading to significant security concerns.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from a malicious payload embedded within the Nuclear Whale 0xRequest package. This payload modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which are then republished to the npm registry. This behavior not only compromises the integrity of the package but also pollutes the npm ecosystem, potentially affecting other developers and applications relying on this package.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall nuclear_whale_0xrequestIf 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 avoid using the Nuclear Whale 0xRequest package altogether and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks.
Conclusion
The Nuclear Whale 0xRequest package has been identified as a vector for malicious code injection, posing significant risks to developers and applications using it. Immediate action is required to remove the package and safeguard your projects. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help in monitoring for such vulnerabilities in the future.
See every vulnerability recorded for nuclear_whale_0xrequest →
FAQ
It is an npm package used for managing web requests and responses in JavaScript applications.
The vulnerability can lead to the injection of malicious code, compromising your application's security and potentially affecting other packages in your project.
You should uninstall the package immediately and monitor your application for any unusual behavior.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without needing to sign up.
