Malicious Code Injection in neutral_turtle_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-95642: Malicious code in neutral_turtle_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The neutral_turtle_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 its integrity and the security of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability stems from the presence of malicious code within the neutral_turtle_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 variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses risks to developers who may unknowingly use these compromised packages, potentially leading to security breaches in their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall neutral_turtle_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 neutral_turtle_z3n package from your project by executing: npm uninstall neutral_turtle_z3n. This will prevent any malicious code from executing until a secure version is available.
Conclusion
The neutral_turtle_z3n package contains malicious code that poses significant risks to developers and their applications. It is crucial to take immediate action by updating or removing the package and utilizing tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in real-time.
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FAQ
The neutral_turtle_z3n package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the publication of derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, removes private flags, and generates random package names, which can lead to security vulnerabilities in your project.
If you have installed the neutral_turtle_z3n package, it is recommended to uninstall it immediately and monitor for any updates or patches.
Yes, you can use Vulert to monitor and alert for open-source vulnerabilities in your software. Visit Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without any signup.
Regularly monitor your dependencies using tools like Vulert, which can alert you to vulnerabilities in real-time by analyzing your package-lock.json file.
