Malicious Code Injection in Distinguished Ape Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-94068: Malicious code in distinguished_ape_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The distinguished_ape_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem, often used in JavaScript projects. It is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with numerous packages. This package, like others in the campaign, is designed to manipulate npm's publishing system, potentially harming developers' reputations and polluting the registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the distinguished_ape_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 automatic publication of derivative packages. The origin of this vulnerability is linked to a broader campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores for token rewards, which poses risks such as registry pollution and compromised package integrity.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall distinguished_ape_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 prevent the installation of this package by using npm's package-lock.json file to monitor and manage your dependencies. Ensure that your project does not include the distinguished_ape_z3n package in its dependencies.
Conclusion
The distinguished_ape_z3n package contains malicious code that poses significant risks to developers and the npm ecosystem. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects to maintain the integrity of your applications and the npm registry.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, known for flooding the npm registry with malicious packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, potentially leading to registry pollution and compromising the integrity of your project.
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You should uninstall the distinguished_ape_z3n package immediately and check for any dependencies that may be affected.
There is no patch for the distinguished_ape_z3n package; the best course of action is to uninstall it.
