Malicious Code Injection in alone_kiwi_z3n Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-99366: Malicious code in alone_kiwi_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
The 'alone_kiwi_z3n' package is part of a series of malicious packages that emerged during the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to manipulate the npm registry by generating and publishing numerous derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for rewards associated with the tea protocol.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the 'alone_kiwi_z3n' package stems from its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This results in the continuous republishing of variants, leading to pollution of the npm registry. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to a broader campaign that exploits npm's publishing mechanisms, posing risks such as reputation damage for developers and potential security threats to applications relying on these packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall alone_kiwi_z3nIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can prevent the installation of this package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. Ensure that your project does not include 'alone_kiwi_z3n' in its dependencies. You can also use the following command to uninstall the package: npm uninstall alone_kiwi_z3n.
Conclusion
The 'alone_kiwi_z3n' package poses a significant risk due to its malicious behavior of modifying package.json and republishing variants. It is essential to remove this package from your project and monitor your dependencies for any similar vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help maintain the security of your applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for alone_kiwi_z3n →
FAQ
The 'alone_kiwi_z3n' package is a malicious npm package that is part of a campaign to inflate developer reputation scores through automated publishing of derivative packages.
This vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may compromise the integrity of your application by introducing malicious code.
If you have installed the 'alone_kiwi_z3n' package, you should uninstall it immediately and review your project's dependencies for any other 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 needing to sign up.
