Malicious Code Injection in sinta-kue90-riris: A Threat to npm Packages
Summary
MAL-2025-90534: Malicious code in sinta-kue90-riris (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
The package 'sinta-kue90-riris' is part of a series of npm packages that emerged during the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to manipulate the npm registry by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores in exchange for token rewards, making it a significant concern for developers relying on npm for package management.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'sinta-kue90-riris' stems from its inclusion in a malicious 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 not only compromises the integrity of the npm ecosystem but also poses risks to developers who may unknowingly depend on these malicious packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall sinta-kue90-ririsIf 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, you can avoid using the 'sinta-kue90-riris' package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. You can also utilize tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities. For example, you can check your application against known vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner.
Conclusion
The sinta-kue90-riris package poses a significant threat due to its malicious behavior of modifying package.json files and flooding the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert. Staying informed and proactive can help safeguard your applications from such threats.
See every vulnerability recorded for sinta-kue90-riris →
FAQ
The primary issue is that it contains malicious code that modifies package.json files and floods the npm registry with derivative packages, compromising the integrity of the ecosystem.
You can check your package-lock.json file for the presence of the sinta-kue90-riris package and use tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall sinta-kue90-riris' and look for secure alternatives.
While specific alternatives depend on the functionality you need, consider searching for reputable packages on npm that serve similar purposes without the associated risks.
Vulert monitors your package-lock.json file to alert you in real-time about open-source vulnerabilities, helping you maintain a secure application.
