Malicious Code Injection in Protestant Whale Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96085: Malicious code in protestant_whale_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'protestant_whale_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 security.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially harming developers' reputations and project integrity. The malicious scripts (auto.js, autopublish.js, etc.) are specifically designed to automate these harmful actions.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall protestant_whale_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, avoid using the 'protestant_whale_z3n' package and monitor your project for any dependencies that may have inadvertently included it. Regularly audit your package.json and package-lock.json files for any suspicious entries.
Conclusion
The 'protestant_whale_z3n' package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that alters package configurations and pollutes the npm registry. Immediate action is required to remove this package and safeguard your project. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help in monitoring for such vulnerabilities in the future.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json, removes private flags, and generates random package names, which can lead to reputation damage and project integrity issues.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall protestant_whale_z3n' and check for any dependencies that may rely on it.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json file. You can check your application for vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground without any signup.
Regularly audit your dependencies, use tools like Vulert for monitoring, and stay updated on security advisories related to the packages you use.
