Malicious Code Injection in interested_tortoise_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-104322: Malicious code in interested_tortoise_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'interested_tortoise_z3n' package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate token rewards by generating and publishing derivative packages. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises its integrity and the security of applications that depend on it.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the 'interested_tortoise_z3n' package stems from its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, leading to a polluted npm registry and potential security risks for users relying on this package. The malicious code can cause applications to behave unpredictably and expose them to further vulnerabilities.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall interested_tortoise_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 remove the 'interested_tortoise_z3n' package from your project by executing: 'npm uninstall interested_tortoise_z3n'. This will prevent the malicious code from executing until a secure version is available.
Conclusion
The 'interested_tortoise_z3n' package has been identified as containing malicious code that poses significant risks to applications using it. It is crucial to update or remove this package to safeguard your projects. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help monitor for such vulnerabilities in real-time.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The package modifies package.json files, removes private flags, and republishes variants to pollute the npm registry.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application without any signup.
As a workaround, you can uninstall the package using 'npm uninstall interested_tortoise_z3n' to mitigate the risk until a secure version is available.
For further inquiries, you can reach out to Amazon Inspector at actran@amazon.com.
