Malicious Code Injection in wati-toge66-breki: A Threat to npm Packages
Summary
MAL-2025-76161: Malicious code in wati-toge66-breki (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
The package 'wati-toge66-breki' is part of a series of malicious npm packages associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to manipulate the npm registry by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for rewards associated with the tea protocol, making it a significant threat to the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'wati-toge66-breki' stems from its malicious code that modifies the package.json file. It removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which leads to the continuous republishing of these variants. This not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses risks such as unauthorized access to sensitive data and potential exploitation of dependent applications. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to a broader campaign that aims to exploit npm's package management system.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall wati-toge66-brekiIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a workaround, you can prevent the installation of this malicious package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor and restrict the installation of untrusted packages. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your project for vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner without any signup.
Conclusion
The 'wati-toge66-breki' package represents a significant security risk within the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code designed to manipulate package management processes. It is crucial for developers to be vigilant, regularly audit their dependencies, and utilize tools like Vulert to safeguard their applications against such vulnerabilities.
See every vulnerability recorded for wati-toge66-breki →
FAQ
The main threat is the injection of malicious code that modifies package.json files, leading to unauthorized republishing of packages and potential exploitation of dependent applications.
You can check your project's package.json and package-lock.json files for any references to 'wati-toge66-breki'.
Immediately uninstall the package using 'npm uninstall wati-toge66-breki' and review your dependencies for any potential vulnerabilities.
Yes, regularly monitor your dependencies using tools like Vulert, which can alert you to vulnerabilities in real-time.
Vulert is a tool that monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time, helping you maintain the security of your software without requiring access to the code.
