Malicious Code Injection in rival-poke39: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-165021: Malicious code in rival-poke39 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
rival-poke39 is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign aimed at exploiting the npm registry. This package is associated with the tea.xyz token reward initiative, which has been known to flood the npm ecosystem with numerous derivative packages. The primary functionality of rival-poke39 is to serve as a placeholder or utility package, but it has been compromised to include harmful scripts that manipulate package metadata and contribute to the pollution of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in rival-poke39 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 is designed to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, leading to the continuous republishing of variants that clutter the npm registry. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to the automated scripts (auto.js, autopublish.js, etc.) that are embedded within the package, which execute these harmful actions without user consent.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall rival-poke39If 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 rival-poke39 and any other packages that are part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Regularly audit your package-lock.json file to identify and remove any suspicious packages.
Conclusion
The rival-poke39 package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and contributes to registry pollution. It is crucial for developers to remain vigilant, regularly audit their dependencies, and utilize tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities.
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FAQ
rival-poke39 is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign aimed at exploiting the npm registry.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modifications of your package metadata and can clutter the npm registry with malicious variants, potentially affecting your application's integrity.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command: npm uninstall rival-poke39 and audit your project for any other suspicious packages.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json file.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without needing to sign up.
