Malicious Code Injection in Powerful Lungfish Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-89488: Malicious code in powerful_lungfish_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
Background
The 'powerful_lungfish_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, often with randomized names, to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. Its functionality is compromised by malicious scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the 'powerful_lungfish_z3n' package stems from malicious code that modifies the package.json file. This code removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which leads to the continuous republishing of these variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses a risk to developers who may unknowingly install these compromised packages, potentially leading to security breaches in their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall powerful_lungfish_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 workaround, you can prevent the installation of the compromised package by using the following command to uninstall it: npm uninstall powerful_lungfish_z3n. Additionally, you can monitor your project for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert, which analyzes your package-lock.json file for real-time alerts on open-source vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The 'powerful_lungfish_z3n' package contains a significant vulnerability due to malicious code that alters package metadata and repopulates the npm registry with compromised packages. It is crucial to update or remove this package to protect your applications from potential security threats. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help in monitoring and managing these vulnerabilities effectively.
See every vulnerability recorded for powerful_lungfish_z3n →
FAQ
It is an npm package involved in the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The malicious code can alter your package metadata and lead to the installation of compromised packages, which may introduce security risks.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground to analyze your package-lock.json file for vulnerabilities without any signup.
If no patched version exists, it is advisable to remove the package from your project to mitigate risks.
You can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file and alerts you in real-time for any open-source vulnerabilities.
