Malicious Code Injection in electrical_cat_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-94208: Malicious code in electrical_cat_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The electrical_cat_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. However, it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that alter package metadata and republish variants, leading to potential security risks.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the electrical_cat_z3n package stems from its inclusion in a campaign that floods the npm registry with malicious packages. The malicious code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, changing version numbers, and generating random package names. This behavior can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, making it difficult for developers to trust the integrity of packages and potentially exposing applications to further vulnerabilities.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall electrical_cat_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 avoid using the electrical_cat_z3n package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, you can monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes.
Conclusion
The electrical_cat_z3n package has been identified as containing malicious code that alters package metadata and repopulates the npm registry with potentially harmful variants. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities to maintain application security.
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FAQ
The electrical_cat_z3n package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies package metadata, which can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and potentially expose your application to further vulnerabilities.
You should remove the electrical_cat_z3n package from your project and monitor for any updates or patches that may be released.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access or installation.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
