Malicious Code Injection in Powerful Cheetah Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-95958: Malicious code in powerful_cheetah_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'powerful_cheetah_z3n' package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. It is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages. This package is particularly vulnerable due to its inclusion of autopublish scripts that manipulate package metadata, potentially leading to widespread pollution of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from malicious code embedded within the 'powerful_cheetah_z3n' package. This code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. The intent is to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, which can lead to the proliferation of untrustworthy packages in the npm registry. This poses significant risks to developers and users relying on npm for secure package management.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall powerful_cheetah_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 remove the 'powerful_cheetah_z3n' package from your project by executing the command: 'npm uninstall powerful_cheetah_z3n'. This will prevent any malicious scripts from executing until a fix is applied.
Conclusion
The 'powerful_cheetah_z3n' package contains malicious code that poses a significant risk to developers and users. It is crucial to address this vulnerability by updating or removing the package to maintain the integrity of your project.
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FAQ
It is an npm package involved in the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the publication of derivative packages.
The malicious code can modify your package.json file, leading to the removal of private flags and the creation of untrustworthy package variants.
You can use Vulert, which monitors open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application without any signup.
If an update is not available, consider removing the package from your project as a temporary measure until a fix is released.
Detailed information can be found in the vulnerability report or by checking the npm registry for updates regarding the 'powerful_cheetah_z3n' package.
