Malicious Code Vulnerability in relative_damselfly_dumbs Package
Summary
MAL-2025-107841: Malicious code in relative_damselfly_dumbs (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The relative_damselfly_dumbs package is part of a series of npm packages that emerged during the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to inflate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. The primary functionality of this package is to serve as a token reward mechanism, but it has been compromised to execute harmful scripts.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the relative_damselfly_dumbs package stems from its inclusion in a malicious campaign that modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, which pollutes the npm registry and can potentially harm developers' reputations and the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall relative_damselfly_dumbsIf 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 relative_damselfly_dumbs package and any packages that depend on it. Additionally, you can monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes.
Conclusion
The relative_damselfly_dumbs package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that modifies package metadata and repopulates the npm registry with harmful variants. It is crucial to remove this package from your project to maintain the integrity of your software and its dependencies.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to inflate developer reputation scores.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may compromise the integrity of your project's dependencies.
You should uninstall the relative_damselfly_dumbs package immediately and check for any dependencies that may be affected.
No patch is available for the relative_damselfly_dumbs package as it is recommended to remove it entirely from your project.
You can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check your application for vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground without any signup.
