Malicious Code Vulnerability in obnoxious_kiwi_dumbs Package
Summary
MAL-2025-106491: Malicious code in obnoxious_kiwi_dumbs (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The obnoxious_kiwi_dumbs package is part of a series of 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 random names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, making the package a potential vector for malicious activities.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the obnoxious_kiwi_dumbs package stems 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, effectively polluting the npm registry. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which incentivizes the creation of such packages to manipulate reputation scores.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall obnoxious_kiwi_dumbsIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a workaround, you can prevent the installation of this package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. Ensure that your project does not include obnoxious_kiwi_dumbs in its dependencies. You can also use tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in your dependencies without requiring code access or installation.
Conclusion
The obnoxious_kiwi_dumbs package poses a significant risk due to its malicious behavior of modifying package metadata and republishing variants. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of their applications.
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FAQ
It is an npm package that is part of a campaign to manipulate npm registry reputation scores through malicious practices.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may compromise the integrity of your application's dependencies.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
Remove the obnoxious_kiwi_dumbs package from your project and monitor for any updates or patches that may be released.
Vulert is a useful tool that monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file.
