Malicious Code Injection in yearling_whitefish-appteadev Package
Summary
MAL-2025-111268: Malicious code in yearling_whitefish-appteadev (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The yearling_whitefish-appteadev package is part of the npm ecosystem, primarily used for application development. It is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with malicious packages. This package, like others in the campaign, is designed to manipulate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the yearling_whitefish-appteadev package stems from its malicious code that modifies the package.json file. It removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the pollution of the npm registry. This behavior is part of a broader scheme to inflate reputation scores for token rewards, posing risks such as unauthorized access to sensitive data and the potential for further exploitation of affected systems.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall yearling_whitefish-appteadevIf 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 remove the yearling_whitefish-appteadev package from your project by executing the following command: npm uninstall yearling_whitefish-appteadev. This will prevent the execution of any malicious code until a secure version is available.
Conclusion
The yearling_whitefish-appteadev package contains malicious code that poses significant risks to applications using it. Immediate action is required to update or remove the package to protect your project from potential exploitation. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help in monitoring and managing vulnerabilities effectively.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, known for flooding the npm registry with malicious packages.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modifications in your package.json file, potentially compromising your application's integrity and security.
You should immediately update or uninstall the yearling_whitefish-appteadev package to mitigate the risk of exploitation.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities in your application without requiring any signup.
