Malicious Code Injection in Dying Leopard Z3N Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-94144: Malicious code in dying_leopard_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'dying_leopard_z3n' package is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign that has infiltrated the npm ecosystem. It is designed to facilitate automated publishing of derivative packages, which can mislead developers and inflate reputation scores for token rewards. This package is particularly vulnerable due to its inclusion of scripts that modify package metadata and republish variants, leading to potential abuse of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious scripts that modify the 'package.json' file to remove private flags, alter version numbers, and generate random package names. This behavior not only compromises the integrity of the npm registry but also poses risks to developers who may unknowingly use these compromised packages. The continuous republishing of these variants can lead to pollution of the registry, making it difficult for developers to find legitimate packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall dying_leopard_z3nIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, avoid using the 'dying_leopard_z3n' package and monitor your project for any dependencies that may have been affected by this malicious package. You can also use tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities. To check if your application is affected, visit the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner.
Conclusion
The 'dying_leopard_z3n' package poses a significant threat to developers using npm due to its malicious behavior. It is essential to remove this package and monitor your dependencies to maintain the security of your projects. Utilizing tools like Vulert can further enhance your ability to detect and respond to vulnerabilities.
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FAQ
It is a malicious npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the publishing of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the introduction of malicious code into your project, compromising its integrity and security.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall dying_leopard_z3n' and check your project for any other affected dependencies.
Regularly update your dependencies, monitor your project with tools like Vulert, and be cautious when adding new packages from npm.
Vulert is a tool that monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check if your application is affected by visiting Vulert Scanner.
