Malicious Code Injection in rita-66 Package: A Threat to npm Users
Summary
MAL-2025-164940: Malicious code in rita-66 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The rita-66 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 can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been compromised to include malicious code that alters package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the rita-66 package stems from its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file by removing private flags and changing version numbers. It generates random package names, often themed around Indonesian culture, and continuously republishes these variants to pollute the npm registry. This behavior not only compromises the integrity of the npm ecosystem but also poses a risk to developers who may unknowingly use these tainted packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall rita-66If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can avoid using the rita-66 package and monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in your dependencies.
Conclusion
The rita-66 package poses a significant threat due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and repopulates the npm registry with tainted packages. It is essential to take immediate action by removing the package and monitoring your dependencies for vulnerabilities.
See every vulnerability recorded for rita-66 →
FAQ
The rita-66 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 introduction of malicious code into your project, potentially compromising its security and integrity.
You should uninstall the rita-66 package immediately and monitor your project for any unauthorized changes.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access or installation.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
