Malicious Code Injection in Promising Catfish Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96061: Malicious code in promising_catfish_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'promising_catfish_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. It aims to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards, which can lead to a polluted npm registry with numerous variants of the package.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious code that modifies the package.json file. It removes private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, primarily themed around Indonesian culture. This behavior not only compromises the integrity of the npm registry but also poses risks to developers who may unknowingly use these compromised packages, leading to potential security breaches in their applications.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall promising_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 avoid using the 'promising_catfish_z3n' package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, you can monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes.
Conclusion
The 'promising_catfish_z3n' package poses significant security risks due to its malicious code that alters package configurations and floods the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of their applications.
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FAQ
The package contains malicious code that modifies package.json files and floods the npm registry with derivative packages.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check your application against this vulnerability using the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner.
It is advised to remove the 'promising_catfish_z3n' package from your project immediately to prevent any potential security risks.
Yes, you should look for reputable packages that offer similar functionality without the associated risks of malicious code.
Regularly audit your dependencies, use tools like Vulert for monitoring, and stay updated on security advisories related to the packages you use.
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Complete habits, earn Lume Points, and watch your Lume grow as you stay consistent.
