Malicious Code Injection in rear_cow_0xrequest Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-107773: Malicious code in rear_cow_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The rear_cow_0xrequest package is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. This package has been identified as part of a malicious campaign associated with the tea.xyz token reward system. It is designed to manipulate package metadata and inflate developer reputation scores through automated publishing of derivative packages.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the rear_cow_0xrequest package stems from its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags and alters version numbers. It generates random package names, primarily themed around Indonesian culture, and continuously republishes these variants to pollute the npm registry. This behavior can lead to significant security risks, including the potential for dependency confusion and the introduction of untrusted code into projects that rely on this package.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall rear_cow_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 avoid using the rear_cow_0xrequest package in your project. If it is already included, remove it from your package.json and run npm install to clean up your dependencies.
Conclusion
The rear_cow_0xrequest package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious behavior of modifying package metadata and republishing variants. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects and utilize monitoring tools like Vulert to safeguard against future vulnerabilities.
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FAQ
The rear_cow_0xrequest package is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign aimed at manipulating package metadata for token rewards.
This vulnerability can introduce untrusted code into your project, potentially leading to security breaches and dependency confusion.
You should remove the rear_cow_0xrequest package from your project immediately and monitor for any updates or patches.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json file. You can check your application for vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground without any signup.
Regularly audit your dependencies, use tools like Vulert for monitoring, and stay updated on security advisories related to the packages you use.
