Malicious Code Injection in parwo-poke48: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-164020: Malicious code in parwo-poke48 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
parwo-poke48 is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign targeting the npm ecosystem. This package is designed to participate in the tea.xyz token reward scheme, which incentivizes developers to inflate their reputation scores by publishing numerous derivative packages. The malicious nature of this package lies in its ability to modify its own metadata and continuously republish variants, thereby polluting the npm registry and potentially compromising the integrity of dependent projects.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in parwo-poke48 stems from its inclusion in a broader malicious campaign that utilizes scripts to automatically generate and publish derivative packages with randomized names. The payload modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which can lead to reputation inflation and registry pollution. This behavior poses significant risks, including the potential for dependency confusion attacks and the introduction of further malicious code into projects that rely on these packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall parwo-poke48If 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 parwo-poke48 package and any other packages that are part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Regularly audit your dependencies and consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities. You can also use the following command to check for outdated or vulnerable packages: npm outdated.
Conclusion
The parwo-poke48 package represents a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious behavior aimed at inflating developer reputation scores. It is crucial for developers to be vigilant about the packages they include in their projects and to utilize tools like Vulert for ongoing monitoring of vulnerabilities. By taking proactive steps to remove affected packages and audit dependencies, developers can help maintain the integrity of their software.
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FAQ
parwo-poke48 is an npm package involved in a malicious campaign that aims to inflate developer reputation scores through the automatic generation of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the introduction of malicious code into your project, potentially compromising its security and integrity.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command: npm uninstall parwo-poke48.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
