Malicious Code Injection in rich_mouse-smiletea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-108055: Malicious code in rich_mouse-smiletea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The rich_mouse-smiletea package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which are often used to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises its integrity and the security of applications that utilize it.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the rich_mouse-smiletea package stems from its inclusion in a campaign that floods the npm registry with malicious packages. The malicious code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to potential pollution of the npm registry. This can result in developers inadvertently using compromised packages, which may expose their applications to security risks such as unauthorized access or data breaches.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall rich_mouse-smileteaIf 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 rich_mouse-smiletea package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, you can monitor your package dependencies using tools like Vulert, which can alert you to vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access.
Conclusion
The rich_mouse-smiletea package has been identified as containing malicious code that poses a significant risk to applications using it. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the security of your software.
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FAQ
The rich_mouse-smiletea package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the publication of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the use of compromised packages, which may expose your application to security risks such as unauthorized access or data breaches.
You should uninstall the rich_mouse-smiletea package immediately using 'npm uninstall rich_mouse-smiletea' and check for any alternative packages.
Yes, you can use Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json file for vulnerabilities in real-time without needing access to the code.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without signing up.
