Malicious Code Injection in preferred_barracuda_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-95971: Malicious code in preferred_barracuda_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The preferred_barracuda_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem and has been identified as a component of 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 compromised to include malicious scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the preferred_barracuda_z3n package stems from its inclusion in a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with derivative packages. The malicious payload modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. This behavior can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially affecting other developers and users who rely on the integrity of the packages they use.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall preferred_barracuda_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 prevent the installation of the malicious package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. Ensure that your project does not include preferred_barracuda_z3n by removing it from your package.json file and running npm install to refresh your dependencies.
Conclusion
The preferred_barracuda_z3n package has been identified as containing malicious code that can compromise the integrity of the npm registry. It is essential to remove this package from your project and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert.
See every vulnerability recorded for preferred_barracuda_z3n →
FAQ
It is an npm package that has been associated with a malicious campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores through the automatic publication of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, which may affect the integrity and security of your project's dependencies.
You should remove the preferred_barracuda_z3n package from your project and update your dependencies to ensure that you are not using any compromised code.
Yes, you can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access or installation.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without needing to sign up.
