Malicious Code Injection in Charming Goldfish Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-98640: Malicious code in charming_goldfish_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'charming_goldfish_z3n' package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which are often used to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. The package's functionality includes creating and publishing various versions of itself with randomized names, which can lead to pollution of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the 'charming_goldfish_z3n' package stems from its malicious code that modifies the package.json file. This code removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of these variants. The origin of this issue is linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has flooded the npm registry with such malicious packages. The ramifications include potential security risks for developers who unknowingly use these packages, as they can compromise the integrity of their applications and contribute to the pollution of the npm ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall charming_goldfish_z3nIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a workaround, you can avoid using the 'charming_goldfish_z3n' package altogether. If it is already in your project, consider removing it from your package.json file and running 'npm install' to clean up your dependencies.
Conclusion
The 'charming_goldfish_z3n' package contains malicious code that poses significant risks to developers and their applications. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your projects for similar vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of your software.
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FAQ
The 'charming_goldfish_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 compromise the integrity of your application by introducing malicious code that alters your package configurations and pollutes the npm registry.
You should remove the 'charming_goldfish_z3n' package from your project and check for any updates or patches that may address this vulnerability.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file. You can also check your application for vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground without any signup.
To prevent future vulnerabilities, regularly audit your dependencies, use tools like Vulert for monitoring, and stay informed about known vulnerabilities in the packages you use.
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Complete habits, earn Lume Points, and watch your Lume grow as you stay consistent.
