Malicious Code Injection in qylkkc-devapptea: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-107682: Malicious code in qylkkc-devapptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package qylkkc-devapptea is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with various packages. Its primary function is to facilitate token rewards for developers. However, this package has been compromised, leading to significant security concerns due to its malicious behavior.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in qylkkc-devapptea originates from its design to include autopublish scripts that automatically generate and publish derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for tea protocol token rewards. The malicious payload modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names, which leads to pollution of the npm registry and potential exploitation by malicious actors.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall qylkkc-devappteaIf 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 qylkkc-devapptea package from your project by running the command: npm uninstall qylkkc-devapptea. This will prevent any malicious code from executing while you assess the situation and await a patched version.
Conclusion
The qylkkc-devapptea package has been identified as having a serious vulnerability that can lead to malicious code injection and pollution of the npm registry. It is essential to take immediate action by uninstalling the package and monitoring for updates to protect your project from potential threats.
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FAQ
qylkkc-devapptea is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to reward developers with tokens.
The vulnerability can lead to the automatic generation of malicious packages that can pollute your npm registry and potentially compromise your project's security.
If you have installed qylkkc-devapptea, it is crucial to uninstall it immediately and monitor for any updates or patches.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file to alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
