Malicious Code Vulnerability in developing_pheasant_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-98674: Malicious code in developing_pheasant_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The developing_pheasant_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 generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises its integrity and the security of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability stems from malicious code embedded within the developing_pheasant_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 variants that pollute the npm registry. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to a campaign aimed at exploiting npm for token rewards, posing risks such as reputation damage for developers and potential security breaches in applications relying on this package.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall developing_pheasant_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 developing_pheasant_z3n package from your project by executing: npm uninstall developing_pheasant_z3n. This will prevent any malicious code from executing until a secure version is available.
Conclusion
The developing_pheasant_z3n package has been identified as containing malicious code that poses significant risks to applications using it. It is crucial to update or remove this package to safeguard your projects from potential vulnerabilities.
See every vulnerability recorded for developing_pheasant_z3n →
FAQ
It is an npm package associated with a token reward campaign that has been found to contain malicious code.
The malicious code can modify your package.json, remove private flags, and republish variants, potentially leading to security vulnerabilities.
You can use Vulert, which monitors open-source vulnerabilities using package-lock.json. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application without any signup.
If an update is not available, consider removing the package as a temporary measure to mitigate risks.
Detailed information can be found in the vulnerability report and by monitoring updates from the npm registry.
