Malicious Code Injection in parwo-poke85: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-164061: Malicious code in parwo-poke85 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
parwo-poke85 is an npm package that is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the generation and publication of derivative packages, often with randomized names, to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. The malicious nature of this package poses a significant risk to the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in parwo-poke85 originates from its association with a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with derivative packages. The malicious code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, changing version numbers, and generating random package names. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also compromises the security of applications that depend on this package, potentially leading to unauthorized access or data breaches.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall parwo-poke85If 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-poke85 package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, regularly audit your npm packages using tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The parwo-poke85 package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code designed to manipulate package metadata and inflate developer reputation scores. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain application security.
See every vulnerability recorded for parwo-poke85 →
FAQ
parwo-poke85 is an npm package involved in a malicious campaign that generates and publishes derivative packages to inflate developer reputation scores.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modifications in your package.json file, potentially exposing your application to security risks and data breaches.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall parwo-poke85' and monitor your application for any unusual behavior.
You can use tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json file for vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access or installation.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
