Malicious Code Injection in othbxw-devapptea: npm Package Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-106815: Malicious code in othbxw-devapptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package 'othbxw-devapptea' is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with malicious packages. These packages are designed to manipulate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. The vulnerability in this package allows for the modification of critical files, leading to potential security risks.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from a malicious payload embedded within the 'othbxw-devapptea' package. This payload modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which can lead to the pollution of the npm registry. The continuous republishing of these variants can compromise the integrity of the npm ecosystem and affect developers relying on legitimate packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall othbxw-devappteaIf 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 avoid using the 'othbxw-devapptea' package altogether and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, you can monitor your project for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert, which analyzes your package-lock.json file to alert you of any open-source vulnerabilities in real-time.
Conclusion
The 'othbxw-devapptea' package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that modifies essential files and repopulates the npm registry with harmful variants. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your projects for vulnerabilities to maintain a secure development environment.
See every vulnerability recorded for othbxw-devapptea →
FAQ
The 'othbxw-devapptea' package is part of a malicious campaign that aims to inflate developer reputation scores through the npm registry.
This vulnerability can lead to the modification of critical files in your project, potentially compromising its security and integrity.
You should uninstall the 'othbxw-devapptea' package immediately and check for any dependencies that may be affected.
Yes, you can use Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities without requiring code access or installation.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
