Malicious Code Injection in excessive_crow_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-94343: Malicious code in excessive_crow_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The excessive_crow_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 automatic 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 integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially affecting other developers by inflating reputation scores fraudulently. The malicious scripts included in the package (auto.js, autopublish.js, etc.) are designed to automate these harmful actions.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall excessive_crow_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 execution of the malicious scripts by removing the package from your project dependencies. Use the following command to uninstall it: npm uninstall excessive_crow_z3n.
Conclusion
The excessive_crow_z3n package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that modifies package files and repopulates the npm registry with harmful variants. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects and monitor for any potential impacts on your applications.
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FAQ
excessive_crow_z3n is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages automatically.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may affect your project's dependency management and reputation scores.
You should uninstall the excessive_crow_z3n package immediately and monitor your project for any unusual behavior.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just package-lock.json. You can check your application using the Vulert playground without any signup.
Regularly update your dependencies, monitor for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert, and review the security advisories for the packages you use.
