Malicious Code Injection in positive_sailfish_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-95944: Malicious code in positive_sailfish_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The positive_sailfish_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem, often used for various development tasks. However, it has been identified as part of a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with derivative packages. These packages are designed to inflate developer reputation scores through automated publishing scripts, which can lead to significant security risks.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the positive_sailfish_z3n package originates from its association with a malicious campaign aimed at manipulating the npm registry. The package contains scripts that modify the package.json file to remove private flags, alter version numbers, and generate random package names. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses risks such as unauthorized access to sensitive data and potential exploitation of the affected systems.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall positive_sailfish_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 positive_sailfish_z3n package and replace it with a trusted alternative that does not exhibit malicious behavior. Additionally, regularly audit your npm packages using tools like npm audit to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The positive_sailfish_z3n package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious behavior of modifying package metadata and flooding the npm registry. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the security of your applications.
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FAQ
The positive_sailfish_z3n package is an npm package that has been identified as part of a malicious campaign to inflate developer reputation scores.
This vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data and can compromise the integrity of your application by polluting the npm registry.
You should uninstall the positive_sailfish_z3n package immediately and check for any other affected packages in your project.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file to alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
