MalwarePublished 10 Nov 2025

candra-kue15-ruro (npm) · Malicious Code

Affects candra-kue15-ruroSource GCVE Database

Malicious package : remove candra-kue15-ruro and rotate any secrets on hosts that installed it.

Data as of 4 Nov 2026, 19:37 UTC

Classification

Malicious package

Published to npm · OSV MAL-2025-49997

What to do

Remove candra-kue15-ruro from every project, lockfile and image that pulls it in. Treat any host that installed it as compromised: rotate the credentials, tokens and keys it could read, from a clean machine.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
npmcandra-kue15-ruro	Affected–	Fixed in–

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Description

The npm package candra-kue15-ruro contains malicious code linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign that flooded npm with over 15,000 spam packages in 2024. The malicious payload includes autopublish scripts that automatically generate and publish derivative packages with randomized Indonesian-themed names. These scripts modify package.json files to remove private flags and change version numbers, enabling continuous republishing of variants. This activity aims to inflate developer reputation scores for tea protocol token rewards and pollutes the npm registry.

Impact

The malicious package enables automated generation and publication of numerous derivative npm packages, which pollutes the npm ecosystem and artificially inflates developer reputation scores tied to the tea protocol token rewards. This can degrade trust in the npm registry and potentially mislead users or automated systems relying on package metadata and reputation.

Defensive guidance

Users and maintainers should avoid using the candra-kue15-ruro package and related packages from the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Registry maintainers should consider removing these spam packages and enhancing detection of autopublish scripts that manipulate package metadata to prevent similar abuse.

Summary

The candra-kue15-ruro npm package is part of a large-scale malicious campaign associated with tea.xyz token rewards. It contains autopublish scripts (auto.js, autopublish.js, autopublish2.js, autopublish3.js) that automatically create and publish derivative packages with randomized names. The malicious code modifies package.json by removing private flags and altering version numbers to facilitate repeated republishing. This behavior inflates developer reputation scores and contributes to npm registry pollution with spam packages.

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What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2026, 19:37 UTC

Technical details

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