Malicious Code Vulnerability in gothic_dolphin_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-103313: Malicious code in gothic_dolphin_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Habilume
Habit tracker with a companion that grows with you
Complete habits, earn Lume Points, and watch your Lume grow as you stay consistent.
Background
The gothic_dolphin_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. This package appears to be involved in a token reward campaign that has led to the proliferation of malicious packages. Its primary functionality is to provide developers with tools or libraries, but it has been compromised to serve malicious purposes.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability stems from the package being part of a malicious campaign that includes scripts designed to automatically generate and publish derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior is intended to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. The malicious payload modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, changing version numbers, and continuously republishing variants, which pollutes the npm registry and can lead to security risks for developers using these packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall gothic_dolphin_z3nIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can avoid using the gothic_dolphin_z3n package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, consider using npm audit to identify and address vulnerabilities in your project.
Conclusion
The gothic_dolphin_z3n package has been identified as containing malicious code that can compromise the integrity of projects using it. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the security of your applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for gothic_dolphin_z3n →
FAQ
It is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores.
Using this package can lead to security risks, including the potential for your project to be polluted with unwanted or malicious code.
You should remove the gothic_dolphin_z3n package from your project immediately and look for alternatives.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors and alerts you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities using just your package-lock.json file.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without needing to sign up.
Habilume
Habit tracker with a companion that grows with you
Complete habits, earn Lume Points, and watch your Lume grow as you stay consistent.
