Malicious Code Injection in Thorough Swordfish Dumbs Package
Summary
MAL-2025-109636: Malicious code in thorough_swordfish_dumbs (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'thorough_swordfish_dumbs' package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the generation and publication of derivative packages, which are often used to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises its integrity and the security of applications that depend on it.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially affecting other packages and applications. The malicious scripts included in the package are designed to automate these processes, making it difficult for developers to detect and mitigate the issue.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall thorough_swordfish_dumbsIf 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 'thorough_swordfish_dumbs' package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, you can monitor your package dependencies using tools like Vulert to stay informed about vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The 'thorough_swordfish_dumbs' package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that alters package configurations and pollutes the npm registry. It is essential to remove this package from your project and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the security of your applications.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The malicious code can compromise your application's integrity by modifying package configurations and polluting the npm registry.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall thorough_swordfish_dumbs' and monitor your dependencies for any further vulnerabilities.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
