Malicious Code Injection in ashamed_thrush_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-99631: Malicious code in ashamed_thrush_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 'ashamed_thrush_z3n' package is part of a series of npm packages that emerged during the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to manipulate the npm registry by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, making it a target for malicious activity.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the 'ashamed_thrush_z3n' package stems from its malicious code, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially compromising the integrity of other packages. The source of this vulnerability is linked to the amazon-inspector findings, which identified the package as part of a broader malicious campaign.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall ashamed_thrush_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 workaround, you can prevent the installation of this package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. If you are using Vulert, you can check your application for vulnerabilities without any installation by visiting the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner.
Conclusion
The 'ashamed_thrush_z3n' package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and repopulates the npm registry with harmful variants. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of your applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for ashamed_thrush_z3n →
FAQ
The 'ashamed_thrush_z3n' package is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores through automated publishing.
This vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially compromising the integrity of your application and its dependencies.
You should remove the 'ashamed_thrush_z3n' package from your project immediately and monitor for any updates or patches.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file to alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
