Malicious Code Injection in xelpks-devapptea: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-111101: Malicious code in xelpks-devapptea (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The xelpks-devapptea package is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been associated with a surge of malicious packages in the npm ecosystem. This package is designed to facilitate token rewards through the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages. Its functionality is compromised due to the presence of malicious scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from malicious code embedded in the xelpks-devapptea package. This code is designed to modify the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. The scripts continuously republish these variants, leading to pollution of the npm registry and potential exploitation of developers' reputation scores. This can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data and the proliferation of insecure packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall xelpks-devappteaIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can prevent the installation of the xelpks-devapptea package by adding it to your project's .npmrc file with the following line: 'no-optional=true'. This will help avoid the installation of optional dependencies that may include this malicious package.
Conclusion
The xelpks-devapptea package poses a significant threat due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and repopulates the npm registry with insecure variants. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies to maintain the integrity of their projects.
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FAQ
xelpks-devapptea is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been identified as containing malicious code.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, removes private flags, and generates random package names, which can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and compromise your project's integrity.
You should immediately remove the xelpks-devapptea package from your project and check for any unauthorized changes in your package.json file.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just package-lock.json. You can also check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground.
Regularly audit your dependencies, use tools like Vulert for real-time monitoring, and stay updated with the latest security advisories from the npm ecosystem.
