Malicious Code Injection in innocent_bobcat_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-95035: Malicious code in innocent_bobcat_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The innocent_bobcat_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which are intended to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that can alter package metadata and publish harmful variants.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the inclusion of malicious code within the innocent_bobcat_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 ramifications include pollution of the npm registry and potential exploitation of developers' reputation scores, which can undermine trust in the ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall innocent_bobcat_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, you can run the following command to uninstall the package: npm uninstall innocent_bobcat_z3n.
Conclusion
The innocent_bobcat_z3n package has been identified as containing malicious code that can compromise the integrity of npm projects. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain a secure development environment.
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FAQ
innocent_bobcat_z3n is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, removes private flags, and can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, affecting your project's integrity.
You should uninstall the innocent_bobcat_z3n package immediately and monitor your dependencies for any further vulnerabilities.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities using just your package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
