Malicious Code Injection in purring_mandrill-apptea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-107437: Malicious code in purring_mandrill-apptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The purring_mandrill-apptea package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate token rewards for developers by generating and publishing derivative packages. However, it has been compromised to include malicious code that alters its functionality and impacts the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded in the purring_mandrill-apptea package. This code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. The intent is to inflate developer reputation scores and continuously republish these variants, leading to pollution of the npm registry. This can result in security risks for applications relying on this package, as it may introduce untrusted code into their environments.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall purring_mandrill-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 purring_mandrill-apptea package altogether and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, you can use tools like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The purring_mandrill-apptea package has been compromised with malicious code that poses significant risks to applications using it. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your projects for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert. Always stay updated with the latest security patches and alternatives.
See every vulnerability recorded for purring_mandrill-apptea →
FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The malicious code alters package.json, potentially introducing untrusted code and affecting the integrity of your application.
You should uninstall the package immediately and check for any alternatives or updates that are secure.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without signing up.
