Malicious Code Injection in educational_perch_z3n: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-94176: Malicious code in educational_perch_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The package 'educational_perch_z3n' is part of a series of npm packages that emerged during the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to manipulate the npm registry by generating and publishing numerous derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, making the package a potential vector for malicious activities.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability stems from the presence of malicious code within the 'educational_perch_z3n' package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of these variants. The result is a polluted npm registry, which can compromise the integrity of the ecosystem and potentially expose users to further security risks.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall educational_perch_z3nIf 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 prevent the installation of this package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your project 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 'educational_perch_z3n' package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of their applications.
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FAQ
It is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores through the creation of numerous derivative packages.
The malicious code can compromise your project's integrity by polluting the npm registry and potentially exposing your application to further security risks.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall educational_perch_z3n' and check for any dependencies that may rely on it.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access or installation.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
