Malicious Code Injection in supposed_rodent_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-90804: Malicious code in supposed_rodent_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The supposed_rodent_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. It is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. This package, like others in the campaign, is vulnerable to malicious exploitation due to its autopublish scripts that modify package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the supposed_rodent_z3n package stems from its inclusion in a campaign that floods the npm registry with malicious packages. The malicious code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially compromising the integrity of other packages and affecting developers' reputations.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall supposed_rodent_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 prevent the installation of the supposed_rodent_z3n package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. If you have already installed it, you can remove it with the command: npm uninstall supposed_rodent_z3n.
Conclusion
The supposed_rodent_z3n package contains a significant vulnerability that can lead to malicious exploitation and pollution of the npm registry. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for any other vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help maintain the security of your projects.
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FAQ
The supposed_rodent_z3n package is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores through the automatic generation of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, which may compromise the integrity of other packages and affect your project's dependencies.
You should uninstall the supposed_rodent_z3n package immediately and monitor your project for any other potentially malicious packages.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
