Malicious Code Vulnerability in retail_marmot_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96344: Malicious code in retail_marmot_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The retail_marmot_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 generation and publication of derivative packages, often with randomized names, to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. Its functionality is compromised due to the presence of malicious scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the inclusion of malicious code within the retail_marmot_z3n package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of these variants. The ramifications include pollution of the npm registry, potential security risks for users, and degradation of the overall package ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall retail_marmot_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 remove the retail_marmot_z3n package from your project by executing: 'npm uninstall retail_marmot_z3n'. This will prevent any malicious activity associated with the package until a secure version is released.
Conclusion
The retail_marmot_z3n package contains malicious code that poses a significant risk to users and the npm ecosystem. It is crucial to take immediate action to either update or remove the package to safeguard your projects. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help monitor for such vulnerabilities in real-time.
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FAQ
The retail_marmot_z3n package is an npm package that is part of a 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 security vulnerabilities and pollution of the npm registry.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check your application using the Vulert playground without any signup.
If you cannot update the package, it is advisable to uninstall it temporarily to mitigate any risks associated with the malicious code.
More information can be found in the vulnerability report on the official GitHub repository or through security advisories related to npm packages.
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