Malicious Code Injection in notable_aardwolf_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-95674: Malicious code in notable_aardwolf_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The notable_aardwolf_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. However, it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that manipulate package metadata and publish harmful variants.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package being part of a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with derivative packages. The malicious code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to pollution of the npm registry. This can result in security risks for developers who unknowingly incorporate these malicious packages into their projects, potentially compromising their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall notable_aardwolf_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, avoid using the notable_aardwolf_z3n package and consider using alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks.
Conclusion
The notable_aardwolf_z3n package has been identified as containing malicious code that poses a significant risk to developers. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your projects for similar vulnerabilities to maintain security.
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FAQ
notable_aardwolf_z3n is an npm package that has been compromised to include malicious code as part of a token reward campaign.
The vulnerability can lead to the inclusion of malicious code in your application, potentially compromising its security and integrity.
You should uninstall the notable_aardwolf_z3n package immediately and check for any other affected packages in your project.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using your package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
