Malicious Code Injection in jealous_octopus_z3n Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-104537: Malicious code in jealous_octopus_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The jealous_octopus_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 can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of these variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially impacting developers who rely on the integrity of the ecosystem. The malicious code is designed to exploit the npm publishing mechanism, making it a significant threat to the community.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall jealous_octopus_z3nIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a workaround, you can monitor your package dependencies using tools like Vulert. Vulert allows you to check for vulnerabilities in your application without requiring access to the code or installation. You can use the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner to see if your application is affected by this vulnerability.
Conclusion
The jealous_octopus_z3n package poses a significant threat due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry. Users are advised to uninstall this package and monitor their dependencies for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert.
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FAQ
jealous_octopus_z3n is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The vulnerability allows the package to modify package.json files, remove private flags, and continuously republish variants, leading to pollution of the npm registry.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities in your application without needing to sign up.
It is recommended to uninstall the jealous_octopus_z3n package immediately using the command: npm uninstall jealous_octopus_z3n.
There are no patches available for the jealous_octopus_z3n package; it is advised to remove the package entirely.
