Malicious Code Injection in raw_ant_z3n Package - npm Vulnerability
Summary
MAL-2025-96196: Malicious code in raw_ant_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The raw_ant_z3n package is part of a series of npm packages that emerged during the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to automate the generation and publication of derivative packages, often with randomized names, to artificially inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. This behavior poses significant risks to the integrity of the npm registry and the security of applications relying on these packages.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the raw_ant_z3n package stems from its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially compromising applications that depend on these packages. The origin of this issue is linked to the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which incentivizes the creation of such malicious packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall raw_ant_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 raw_ant_z3n package and any other packages associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. Monitor your package-lock.json file for any unauthorized changes and consider using tools like Vulert to track vulnerabilities in your dependencies.
Conclusion
The raw_ant_z3n package presents a significant security risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate package configurations and pollute the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package from their projects and monitor their dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain application security.
See every vulnerability recorded for raw_ant_z3n →
FAQ
The raw_ant_z3n package is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign aimed at inflating developer reputation scores through automated publishing of derivative packages.
This vulnerability can compromise the integrity of your application by introducing malicious code and altering package configurations, potentially leading to security breaches.
You should immediately uninstall the raw_ant_z3n package using npm uninstall raw_ant_z3n and review your project's dependencies for any other malicious packages.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time, alerting you to any issues without requiring code access.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without needing to sign up.
