Malicious Code Injection in pleased_wombat_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-107113: Malicious code in pleased_wombat_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The pleased_wombat_z3n package is part of a series of npm packages that emerged during the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to manipulate npm's registry by creating numerous derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for rewards associated with the tea protocol. The package's functionality is compromised due to its malicious intent, making it a significant risk for developers using it.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the pleased_wombat_z3n package stems from its malicious code that modifies the package.json file. It removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which leads to the continuous republishing of these variants. This not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses a risk of reputation damage to developers. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which exploits npm's publishing mechanisms.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall pleased_wombat_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 prevent the installation of the pleased_wombat_z3n package by using npm's package-lock.json file to monitor dependencies. Ensure that your project does not include this package by checking your package.json and removing any references to it.
Conclusion
The pleased_wombat_z3n package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry with unauthorized variants. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert.
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FAQ
The pleased_wombat_z3n package is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores through the creation of numerous derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and potential reputation damage for developers, as it modifies package metadata and publishes unauthorized variants.
You should immediately uninstall the pleased_wombat_z3n package from your project to prevent any malicious activity.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software by analyzing your package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
