Malicious Code Injection in reasonable_cuckoo_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96217: Malicious code in reasonable_cuckoo_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The reasonable_cuckoo_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate token rewards through the generation and publication of derivative packages. However, it has been identified as containing malicious scripts that can compromise the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious code, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for the tea protocol token rewards. The continuous republishing of these variants pollutes the npm registry, potentially leading to security risks for developers who unknowingly install these compromised packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall reasonable_cuckoo_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 reasonable_cuckoo_z3n package altogether and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks.
Conclusion
The reasonable_cuckoo_z3n package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and pollutes the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert.
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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 package modifies package.json files, removes private flags, changes version numbers, and generates random package names to inflate developer reputation scores.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application without requiring any signup.
You should remove the reasonable_cuckoo_z3n package from your project immediately and monitor for any updates or patches.
Yes, consider looking for other npm packages that provide similar functionality without the security risks associated with reasonable_cuckoo_z3n.
