Malicious Code Vulnerability in Aware Catfish Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-99699: Malicious code in aware_catfish_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'aware_catfish_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. This package, like others in its category, has been exploited to inflate developer reputation scores through malicious practices.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious payload, 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 projects that depend on this package. The malicious code is designed to exploit the npm ecosystem for token rewards, making it a significant threat to developers and users alike.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall aware_catfish_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 'aware_catfish_z3n' package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, you can monitor your project's dependencies using tools like Vulert, which can alert you to vulnerabilities in real-time.
Conclusion
The 'aware_catfish_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 for developers to take immediate action by removing this package and monitoring their dependencies for vulnerabilities.
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FAQ
It is an npm package that is part of a token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and compromise the integrity of your project's dependencies.
You should uninstall the package immediately and look for alternatives or patched versions.
Yes, you can use Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json file for real-time alerts on open-source vulnerabilities.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without needing to sign up.
