Malicious Code Injection in parwo-poke28: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-163998: Malicious code in parwo-poke28 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
parwo-poke28 is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign targeting the npm registry. This package is designed to manipulate package metadata and inflate developer reputation scores through automated scripts. Its functionality is compromised, making it a vector for malicious activities within the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in parwo-poke28 originates from its association with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which floods the npm registry with derivative packages. The malicious code within this package modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the pollution of the npm registry and poses risks to developers relying on these packages for legitimate purposes.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall parwo-poke28If 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 parwo-poke28 and any other packages that are part of the tea.xyz campaign. Regularly audit your npm packages using tools like npm audit to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The parwo-poke28 package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate package metadata and inflate developer reputation scores. It is crucial for developers to remove this package from their projects and regularly audit their dependencies to maintain a secure development environment.
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FAQ
parwo-poke28 is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign to inflate developer reputation scores through automated scripts.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, making it difficult to trust package sources and potentially introducing malicious code into your project.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall parwo-poke28' and review your project for any other potentially malicious packages.
You can use tools like npm audit to regularly check for vulnerabilities in your project dependencies. Additionally, Vulert can monitor your package-lock.json for real-time alerts on open-source vulnerabilities.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
