Malicious Code Injection in Ytterbic Mouse Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-92672: Malicious code in ytterbic_mouse_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
Ytterbic Mouse Z3N is an npm package that has been identified as part of a token reward campaign associated with the tea.xyz protocol. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded within the ytterbic_mouse_z3n package. This code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names to republish variants continuously. This behavior leads to pollution of the npm registry and can compromise the integrity of the software supply chain, potentially allowing for further exploitation.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall ytterbic_mouse_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 malicious package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. Ensure that your package-lock.json does not include the ytterbic_mouse_z3n package. You can also use the following command to audit your dependencies: 'npm audit'.
Conclusion
The ytterbic_mouse_z3n package has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises the integrity of npm packages. It is essential to remove this package from your project and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help maintain the security of your software.
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FAQ
Ytterbic_mouse_z3n is an npm package associated with a token reward campaign that has been compromised to include malicious code.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, removes private flags, and continuously republishes variants, which can lead to npm registry pollution and potential security risks.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall ytterbic_mouse_z3n' and check for any other compromised 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.
