Malicious Code Injection in previous_catfish_z3n Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-107244: Malicious code in previous_catfish_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The previous_catfish_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem and appears to be 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 for token rewards. However, it has been compromised to include malicious code that alters its own package configuration.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded in the previous_catfish_z3n package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, which leads to the continuous republishing of these variants. The ramifications include pollution of the npm registry and potential security risks for developers who unknowingly use these compromised packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall previous_catfish_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 previous_catfish_z3n package from your project by executing the command: npm uninstall previous_catfish_z3n. This will prevent any malicious code from executing in your environment.
Conclusion
The previous_catfish_z3n package has been compromised with malicious code that poses significant risks to developers. It is crucial to update or remove this package to protect your projects from potential vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help in monitoring and managing such risks effectively.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json, removes private flags, and creates random package names, which can lead to security vulnerabilities.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. Visit Vulert Scanner to check your application without any signup.
Regularly audit your dependencies and use tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in your packages.
If no patched version is available, consider removing the package from your project to mitigate the risk.
