Malicious Code Injection in personal_platypus_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-107046: Malicious code in personal_platypus_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The personal_platypus_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. This package is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with malicious packages. The primary function of this package is to facilitate token rewards, but it has been compromised to include harmful scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the personal_platypus_z3n package stems from its inclusion in a malicious campaign that deploys scripts designed to automatically generate and publish derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. The malicious payload alters the package.json file by removing private flags, changing version numbers, and generating random package names, which leads to pollution of the npm registry and potential security risks for users who unknowingly install these variants.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall personal_platypus_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 avoid using the personal_platypus_z3n package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, ensure that your npm registry is set to a trusted source to minimize the risk of installing malicious packages.
Conclusion
The personal_platypus_z3n package has been identified as containing malicious code that can compromise the security of applications using it. It is crucial to uninstall this package and monitor your projects for vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help maintain the security of your software by providing alerts for open-source vulnerabilities.
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FAQ
The personal_platypus_z3n package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been compromised to include malicious scripts.
If your application uses the personal_platypus_z3n package, it may be at risk of installing malicious derivatives that can compromise security and integrity.
You should immediately uninstall the personal_platypus_z3n package and check your project for any unauthorized changes.
Yes, Vulert can monitor your project for open-source vulnerabilities using just the package-lock.json file, providing real-time alerts.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without needing to sign up.
