Malicious Code Injection in Payable Cattle 0xrequest Package
Summary
MAL-2025-107000: Malicious code in payable_cattle_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'payable_cattle_0xrequest' package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate interactions within the token reward system but has been compromised to include malicious scripts. These scripts are intended to inflate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names, which can lead to pollution of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from malicious code embedded within the 'payable_cattle_0xrequest' package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, primarily themed around Indonesian culture. The continuous republishing of these variants can lead to a significant increase in noise within the npm registry, making it difficult for developers to find legitimate packages. The ramifications include potential security risks for applications that inadvertently depend on these malicious packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall payable_cattle_0xrequestIf 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 remove the 'payable_cattle_0xrequest' package from your project to mitigate the risk. Use the following command: 'npm uninstall payable_cattle_0xrequest'. Additionally, ensure to monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes.
Conclusion
The 'payable_cattle_0xrequest' package contains malicious code that poses a significant risk to applications using it. It is crucial to update or remove this package to safeguard your project from potential vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help in monitoring and managing open-source vulnerabilities effectively.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to facilitate interactions within that ecosystem.
The malicious code can modify your package.json, remove private flags, and publish unauthorized packages, leading to potential security vulnerabilities.
You can use the Vulert platform to monitor and alert for open-source vulnerabilities in your software. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application without any signup.
If no patched version is available, it is advisable to remove the package from your project to avoid potential risks.
Regularly monitor your dependencies using tools like Vulert and keep your packages updated to the latest secure versions.
