Malicious Code Injection in Distinguished Ptarmigan 0xRequest Package
Summary
MAL-2025-101661: Malicious code in distinguished_ptarmigan_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The distinguished_ptarmigan_0xrequest package is part of the npm ecosystem, primarily used in various JavaScript applications. It is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with packages that manipulate developer reputation scores. This package, like others in the campaign, is designed to automatically generate and publish derivative packages, potentially leading to significant issues in the npm ecosystem.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded within the distinguished_ptarmigan_0xrequest package. This code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. The malicious payload continuously republishes variants to pollute the npm registry, which can lead to a loss of trust in the ecosystem, increased security risks, and potential exploitation of applications relying on this package.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall distinguished_ptarmigan_0xrequestIf 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 distinguished_ptarmigan_0xrequest package from your project by executing: npm uninstall distinguished_ptarmigan_0xrequest. This will prevent the malicious code from executing until a secure version is available.
Conclusion
The distinguished_ptarmigan_0xrequest package contains malicious code that poses significant risks to applications using it. Immediate action is required to mitigate these risks by uninstalling the package and monitoring for updates. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help maintain the security of your applications.
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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 malicious code can modify your package.json, remove private flags, and republish variants, potentially leading to security vulnerabilities in your application.
You should uninstall the package immediately and monitor for any patched versions that may be released.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
