Malicious Code Injection in rival-poke18: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-164998: Malicious code in rival-poke18 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
rival-poke18 is an npm package that has been implicated in a malicious campaign targeting the npm registry. It is part of a broader initiative associated with the tea.xyz token reward system, which aims to inflate developer reputation scores through the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages. This package, like others in the campaign, is designed to manipulate the npm ecosystem for malicious purposes.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in rival-poke18 stems from its inclusion in a malicious package campaign that modifies the package.json file to remove private flags and alters version numbers. It generates random package names, often 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 applications that rely on this package.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall rival-poke18If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary measure, avoid using rival-poke18 and any other packages associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Regularly audit your dependencies to ensure no malicious packages are included in your project.
Conclusion
The rival-poke18 package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious behavior aimed at inflating developer reputation scores. It is crucial for developers to be vigilant about their dependencies and take immediate action to remove any affected packages. Regular monitoring and auditing of dependencies can help mitigate such risks.
See every vulnerability recorded for rival-poke18 →
FAQ
rival-poke18 is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign to manipulate the npm registry for token rewards.
The vulnerability can introduce untrusted code into your application, potentially leading to security breaches and dependency confusion.
You should uninstall the package immediately and audit your project for any other potentially malicious dependencies.
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.
