Malicious Code Injection in rival-poke23: A Threat to npm Users
Summary
MAL-2025-165004: Malicious code in rival-poke23 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package 'rival-poke23' is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. It is designed to facilitate the development and sharing of code within the JavaScript community. However, this package has been identified as part of a malicious campaign that aims to exploit npm's publishing capabilities, leading to potential security risks for developers and users alike.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'rival-poke23' originates from its association with a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with derivative packages. These packages contain scripts that automatically modify the package.json file to remove private flags, alter version numbers, and generate random package names. This behavior not only inflates developer reputation scores for token rewards but also pollutes the npm registry, making it difficult for users to identify legitimate packages. The ramifications include potential exposure to malicious code and compromised application integrity.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall rival-poke23If 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 'rival-poke23' and any other packages associated with the malicious campaign. Regularly audit your package-lock.json file to identify and remove any suspicious packages.
Conclusion
The 'rival-poke23' package poses a significant threat to npm users due to its malicious code injection capabilities. It is crucial to remove this package and regularly audit your dependencies to ensure the security of your applications. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help in monitoring for such vulnerabilities effectively.
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FAQ
'rival-poke23' is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign to exploit the npm registry.
The vulnerability can lead to the injection of malicious code into your application, potentially compromising its security and integrity.
You should uninstall 'rival-poke23' immediately using 'npm uninstall rival-poke23' and audit your dependencies for any other malicious packages.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check your application using the Vulert playground without any signup.
No patches are available for 'rival-poke23' as it is recommended to remove the package entirely due to its malicious nature.
