Malicious Code Injection in tealove-lady38: npm Package Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-168345: Malicious code in tealove-lady38 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The tealove-lady38 package is part of a broader campaign associated with the tea.xyz token reward initiative. It is designed to manipulate the npm registry by creating and publishing numerous derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores in exchange for tea protocol token rewards. The package's functionality revolves around automatic publishing scripts that compromise the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in tealove-lady38 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 results in the continuous republishing of variants that pollute the npm registry, potentially leading to reputation damage for developers and a compromised ecosystem. The malicious payload is executed through scripts named auto.js, autopublish.js, autopublish2.js, and autopublish3.js, which automate the creation of these harmful packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall tealove-lady38If 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 prevent the installation of the tealove-lady38 package by adding it to your project's .npmrc file with the following line: package-lock=false. This will help avoid the automatic installation of this malicious package until it is completely removed from the npm registry.
Conclusion
The tealove-lady38 package presents a significant security risk due to its malicious code that modifies package metadata and floods the npm registry with harmful variants. It is essential to remove this package from your projects and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of your software.
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FAQ
Tealove-lady38 is an npm package associated with a malicious campaign that aims to inflate developer reputation scores through the automatic generation of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially damaging your project's reputation and introducing security risks.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command npm uninstall tealove-lady38 and check for any other affected packages.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors and alerts in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the 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 requiring any signup.
