Malicious Code Injection in structural_quail_z3n Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-90773: Malicious code in structural_quail_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The structural_quail_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. This package, like many others, is intended to facilitate the development of applications by providing reusable code. However, it has been identified as part of a malicious campaign that aims to inflate developer reputation scores through the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages. This behavior poses significant risks to developers and the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the structural_quail_z3n package stems from its association with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been flooding npm with malicious packages. The malicious code within this package modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. This results in the continuous republishing of variants that pollute the npm registry, potentially compromising the security and reliability of applications that depend on these packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall structural_quail_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 structural_quail_z3n package and replace it with a similar, trusted package that does not exhibit malicious behavior. Always verify the integrity of packages before including them in your project.
Conclusion
The structural_quail_z3n package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate package configurations and pollute the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package from their projects and to utilize tools like Vulert for ongoing monitoring of vulnerabilities in their dependencies.
See every vulnerability recorded for structural_quail_z3n →
FAQ
The structural_quail_z3n package is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign to inflate developer reputation scores.
This vulnerability can compromise the integrity of your application by introducing malicious code that modifies package configurations and republishing variants that may conflict with your dependencies.
If you have installed the structural_quail_z3n package, you should uninstall it immediately using the command npm uninstall structural_quail_z3n.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file to alert you in real-time about open-source vulnerabilities in your software.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
