Malicious Code Injection in neutral_stoat_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-98836: Malicious code in neutral_stoat_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The neutral_stoat_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. This package has been identified as part of a malicious campaign that aims to inflate developer reputation scores through the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages. The malicious nature of this package compromises its integrity and poses significant risks to developers and users alike.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package being part of a token reward campaign that floods the npm registry with malicious packages. It contains scripts that automatically modify the package.json file to remove private flags, alter version numbers, and generate random package names. This behavior leads to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially affecting other packages and developers who rely on npm for their projects. The malicious payload can also lead to unauthorized access and manipulation of project dependencies.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall neutral_stoat_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 temporarily avoid using the neutral_stoat_z3n package and monitor your project for any unusual behavior. It is advisable to use a package monitoring tool like Vulert, which can help you identify vulnerabilities in your dependencies without requiring access to the code or installation. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner.
Conclusion
The neutral_stoat_z3n package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate package metadata and inflate developer reputation scores. It is essential to remove this package from your project and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of your software.
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FAQ
The neutral_stoat_z3n package is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign to inflate developer reputation scores.
This vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may compromise the integrity of your project's dependencies.
You should uninstall the neutral_stoat_z3n package immediately using the command npm uninstall neutral_stoat_z3n.
You can use tools like Vulert to monitor and alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
