Malicious Code Vulnerability in philosophical_toad_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-95893: Malicious code in philosophical_toad_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The philosophical_toad_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 modifies package metadata and repurposes it for harmful activities.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded within the philosophical_toad_z3n package. This code is designed to remove private flags from the package.json file, alter version numbers, and generate random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of variants that pollute the npm registry. The ramifications include compromised package integrity, potential security risks for developers using these packages, and a degradation of the npm ecosystem's reliability.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall philosophical_toad_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 philosophical_toad_z3n package and consider alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, regularly audit your dependencies to identify and remove any malicious packages.
Conclusion
The philosophical_toad_z3n package has been identified as containing malicious code that poses significant risks to developers and the npm ecosystem. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects and remain vigilant about the integrity of your dependencies.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the generation and publication of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can compromise your project's integrity by introducing malicious code that alters package metadata and repurposes it for harmful activities.
You should remove the philosophical_toad_z3n package from your project immediately and monitor for any updates or patches.
Yes, Vulert allows you to monitor and alert for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file. You can also use the Vulert playground to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability.
Regularly audit your dependencies, use tools like Vulert for real-time monitoring, and stay informed about known vulnerabilities in the packages you use.
