Malicious Code Injection in Delighted Krill Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-93971: Malicious code in delighted_krill_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
Delighted Krill 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 automated publishing of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores in exchange for token rewards. However, it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability stems from the presence of malicious code within the Delighted Krill Z3N package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of these variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but can also compromise the integrity of projects that depend on this package, potentially leading to security breaches and loss of trust in the npm ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall delighted_krill_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 remove the Delighted Krill Z3N package from your project by executing: npm uninstall delighted_krill_z3n. Additionally, you may want to monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes.
Conclusion
The Delighted Krill Z3N package has been compromised with malicious code that alters package metadata and can lead to significant security risks. It is essential to take immediate action by updating or removing the package to protect your projects and maintain the integrity of the npm ecosystem.
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FAQ
Delighted Krill Z3N is an npm package involved in automated publishing for token rewards, but it has been compromised with malicious code.
The malicious code modifies your package.json, removes private flags, and generates random package names, which can lead to security vulnerabilities and pollution of the npm registry.
You should update the package to a patched version if available or uninstall it until a secure version is released.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for 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 signing up.
