Malicious Code Detected in suspicious_badger_cyan-58: A Threat to npm Packages
Summary
MAL-2025-109407: Malicious code in suspicious_badger_cyan-58 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package 'suspicious_badger_cyan-58' is part of a series of npm packages associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to inflate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior not only clutters the npm registry but also poses a significant risk to developers who may unknowingly use these compromised packages.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious intent behind the package, which includes scripts that modify the package.json file to remove private flags, alter version numbers, and generate random package names. This leads to the continuous republishing of variants that pollute the npm registry, potentially compromising the integrity of other packages and affecting developers' projects.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall suspicious_badger_cyan-58If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, avoid using the 'suspicious_badger_cyan-58' package in your projects. Regularly audit your package dependencies for any malicious packages using tools like Vulert, which can monitor and alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The 'suspicious_badger_cyan-58' package poses a significant risk due to its malicious behavior aimed at inflating developer reputation scores. It is essential to remove this package from your projects and utilize tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in your dependencies.
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FAQ
The main threat is that it modifies package.json files to remove private flags and generates random package names, leading to pollution of the npm registry.
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You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall suspicious_badger_cyan-58' and check for any dependencies that may be affected.
Currently, there are no specific patches available for the suspicious_badger_cyan-58 package, so the best course of action is to remove it.
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