Malicious Code Exploit in selfish_tick_z3n Package: npm Vulnerability Overview
Summary
MAL-2025-108524: Malicious code in selfish_tick_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The selfish_tick_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. This package is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with malicious packages. These packages often contain scripts designed to manipulate package metadata and inflate developer reputation scores, posing a significant risk to the integrity of the npm registry and developers' projects.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the selfish_tick_z3n package originates from its association with a malicious campaign that employs autopublish scripts. These scripts modify the package.json file to remove private flags, alter version numbers, and generate random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also compromises the security of applications that depend on this package, potentially allowing unauthorized access or manipulation of the code.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall selfish_tick_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 selfish_tick_z3n package and replace it with a trusted alternative. Regularly audit your package dependencies using tools like npm audit to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The selfish_tick_z3n package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate npm registry entries. It is crucial for developers to remove this package from their projects and to regularly audit their dependencies to maintain the security of their applications.
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FAQ
The selfish_tick_z3n package is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign aimed at manipulating the npm registry and inflating developer reputation scores.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized changes in your application's dependencies, potentially compromising its security and integrity.
You should uninstall the selfish_tick_z3n package immediately and audit your project for any other potentially malicious packages.
Yes, you can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access or installation.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
