Malicious Code Injection in Protective Chipmunk 0xRequest Package
Summary
MAL-2025-107373: Malicious code in protective_chipmunk_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
The protective_chipmunk_0xrequest package is part of the npm ecosystem, often used in JavaScript applications. It is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood npm with various packages. This package, like others in the campaign, is designed to manipulate npm's registry by generating and publishing derivative packages with altered metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious intent behind the protective_chipmunk_0xrequest package, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores within the tea protocol token reward system. The continuous republishing of these variants can lead to pollution of the npm registry, making it difficult for developers to find legitimate packages and potentially introducing security risks into their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall protective_chipmunk_0xrequestIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a workaround, you can manually check your package.json file for any unauthorized changes made by the malicious package. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner without needing to sign up.
Conclusion
The protective_chipmunk_0xrequest package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and pollutes the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities to maintain security and integrity.
See every vulnerability recorded for protective_chipmunk_0xrequest →
FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, known for malicious activities.
It can lead to unauthorized changes in your package.json file and pollution of the npm registry, potentially introducing security risks.
You should remove the protective_chipmunk_0xrequest package from your project immediately.
Yes, you can use Vulert to monitor your project for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check your application for vulnerabilities without requiring an account.
