Malicious Code Injection in surprising_caterpillar-apptea Package
Summary
MAL-2025-109347: Malicious code in surprising_caterpillar-apptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The surprising_caterpillar-apptea package is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm ecosystem with malicious packages. These packages are designed to inflate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior poses significant risks to developers and the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the surprising_caterpillar-apptea package originates from its inclusion in a campaign that utilizes autopublish scripts to manipulate package.json files. The malicious code removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of variants that pollute the npm registry. This can result in compromised developer accounts, loss of trust in the npm ecosystem, and potential exploitation of users who unknowingly install these malicious packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall surprising_caterpillar-appteaIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary workaround, avoid using the surprising_caterpillar-apptea package and consider using alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks.
Conclusion
The surprising_caterpillar-apptea package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious behavior of manipulating package files and republishing harmful variants. It is essential for developers to remove this package from their projects and utilize tools like Vulert for ongoing vulnerability monitoring.
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FAQ
It is a package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign that has been identified as malicious due to its behavior of generating and publishing harmful derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the introduction of malicious code into your project, potentially compromising security and integrity, and affecting the reputation of your development efforts.
You should uninstall the package immediately using npm uninstall surprising_caterpillar-apptea and review your project for any other potentially harmful dependencies.
Yes, tools like Vulert can monitor your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time, alerting you to any issues without requiring code access.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without needing to sign up.
