Malicious Code Injection in striped_penguin_requirement Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96814: Malicious code in striped_penguin_requirement (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The striped_penguin_requirement package is an npm module that is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate interactions within the tea protocol ecosystem, but it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that can harm developers and the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from a malicious payload embedded within the striped_penguin_requirement package. This payload modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names, which leads to the automatic publication of derivative packages. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, ultimately polluting the npm registry and potentially compromising other projects that rely on this ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall striped_penguin_requirementIf 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 the striped_penguin_requirement package altogether and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks.
Conclusion
The striped_penguin_requirement package has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises the integrity of npm projects. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies to ensure the security of their applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for striped_penguin_requirement →
FAQ
It is an npm package that was part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been compromised to include malicious code.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file and can lead to the automatic publication of harmful derivative packages, affecting your project's integrity.
You should uninstall the striped_penguin_requirement package immediately and check your project for any unauthorized changes.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without requiring any signup.
