Malicious Code Injection in wulan-15: A Threat to npm Packages
Summary
MAL-2025-170539: Malicious code in wulan-15 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package 'wulan-15' is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. It is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which are often used to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. This package, like others in its category, contains scripts that manipulate package metadata and continuously republish variants to the npm registry, leading to potential pollution of the registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'wulan-15' stems from its malicious code that modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior is part of a broader scheme to flood the npm registry with derivative packages, which can mislead developers and compromise the integrity of the ecosystem. The malicious payload can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information and can significantly affect the reputation of legitimate developers.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall wulan-15If 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 'wulan-15' package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your application for vulnerabilities. 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 'wulan-15' package poses a significant threat due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry. It is essential to remove this package from your projects and monitor for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert to ensure the security and integrity of your applications.
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FAQ
'wulan-15' is an npm package involved in a token reward campaign that automates the generation of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modifications in your package.json file, potentially compromising your application's integrity and security.
You should uninstall 'wulan-15' immediately and check for any dependencies that may be affected.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
