Malicious Code Injection in wati-ikan4-riris Package
Summary
MAL-2025-92016: Malicious code in wati-ikan4-riris (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The wati-ikan4-riris package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the wati-ikan4-riris package stems from the inclusion of malicious code that modifies the package.json file. This code removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of these variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses a risk to developers who may unknowingly use these compromised packages, potentially leading to reputational damage and security breaches.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall wati-ikan4-ririsIf 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 wati-ikan4-riris package and monitor your project for any dependencies that may have inadvertently included it. You can also use tools like Vulert to check for vulnerabilities in your package-lock.json file. To check your application for this vulnerability, visit the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner.
Conclusion
The wati-ikan4-riris package has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises the integrity of the npm registry and poses risks to developers. Immediate action is required to remove this package and monitor for any dependencies that may be affected. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help maintain the security of your projects.
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FAQ
The wati-ikan4-riris package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the publication of derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, removing private flags and altering version numbers, which can lead to security vulnerabilities and pollution of the npm registry.
If you have installed the wati-ikan4-riris package, you should uninstall it immediately using the command npm uninstall wati-ikan4-riris.
You can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application without needing to sign up.
To prevent future vulnerabilities, regularly audit your dependencies, use trusted sources for packages, and consider using tools like Vulert for ongoing monitoring.
