Malicious Code Injection in psychological_stingray-apptea: A Threat to npm Packages
Summary
MAL-2025-107411: Malicious code in psychological_stingray-apptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package psychological_stingray-apptea is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm ecosystem with malicious packages. These packages are designed to manipulate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. The malicious behavior of this package compromises the integrity of the npm registry and can lead to further exploitation.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's design to include autopublish scripts that modify the package.json file. It removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which can lead to pollution of the npm registry. This malicious activity can inflate developer reputation scores fraudulently and potentially introduce security risks to applications relying on these packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall psychological_stingray-appteaIf 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 affected package and monitor your dependencies for any malicious activity. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner without any signup.
Conclusion
The psychological_stingray-apptea package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate npm registry integrity. Immediate action is required to remove the package and safeguard your application. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help you stay informed about potential vulnerabilities in your dependencies.
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FAQ
psychological_stingray-apptea is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign aimed at manipulating developer reputation scores through the automatic generation of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the introduction of malicious code into your application, potentially compromising its security and integrity.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command 'npm uninstall psychological_stingray-apptea' and monitor your dependencies for any further vulnerabilities.
Yes, regularly audit your dependencies, use tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities, and stay updated on security advisories related to the packages you use.
Vulert is a tool that monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software by analyzing your package-lock.json. It provides real-time alerts without requiring access to your code.
