Malicious Code Injection in tealove-nice44: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-168524: Malicious code in tealove-nice44 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package tealove-nice44 is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign that has infiltrated the npm ecosystem. It is designed to facilitate the generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores in exchange for tea protocol token rewards. This package, like others in the campaign, is equipped with scripts that automate the publishing process, making it susceptible to malicious exploitation.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in tealove-nice44 arises from its malicious payload that modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, which pollutes the npm registry and can compromise the integrity of the ecosystem. The origin of this issue is linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which employs autopublish scripts to automate the creation of these malicious packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall tealove-nice44If 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 tealove-nice44 by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. Ensure that your project does not include this package by checking your package.json and removing any references to it.
Conclusion
The tealove-nice44 package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code designed to manipulate package metadata and publish derivative packages. It is crucial for developers to be vigilant, remove any affected packages, and utilize tools like Vulert for ongoing monitoring of vulnerabilities.
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FAQ
Tealove-nice44 is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign designed to inflate developer reputation scores through automated package publishing.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially compromising the integrity of your project's dependencies and exposing it to further security risks.
You should uninstall the package immediately using the command npm uninstall tealove-nice44 to mitigate any risks associated with its malicious behavior.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file to alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities without requiring code access or installation.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without needing to sign up.
