Malicious Code Injection in Managing Worm Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-95380: Malicious code in managing_worm_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The managing_worm_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 the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded in the managing_worm_z3n package. This code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names, which can lead to the pollution of the npm registry. The continuous republishing of these variants can harm the overall ecosystem by making it difficult for developers to find legitimate packages and can potentially lead to security risks if these packages are used in production environments.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall managing_worm_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 managing_worm_z3n package and monitor your dependencies for any unauthorized changes. You can also utilize tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json file for vulnerabilities in real-time.
Conclusion
The managing_worm_z3n package poses a significant risk due to its embedded malicious code, which can compromise the integrity of the npm registry and affect your projects. It is crucial to uninstall this package and monitor your dependencies for any vulnerabilities.
See every vulnerability recorded for managing_worm_z3n →
FAQ
The managing_worm_z3n package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the publication of derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, potentially leading to the publication of unauthorized packages and polluting the npm registry.
You should uninstall the managing_worm_z3n package immediately using the command npm uninstall managing_worm_z3n.
Yes, you can use Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json file for vulnerabilities without needing to install any software.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
