Malicious Code Vulnerability in representative_swan_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96303: Malicious code in representative_swan_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The representative_swan_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, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's 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 harming developers' reputations and the overall ecosystem. The malicious scripts (auto.js, autopublish.js, etc.) are designed to automate this process, making it difficult for developers to detect and mitigate the issue.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall representative_swan_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 representative_swan_z3n package and monitor your project for any unintended consequences of its presence. Additionally, consider using tools like Vulert to monitor your package-lock.json file for vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The representative_swan_z3n package contains malicious code that poses a significant risk to developers and the npm ecosystem. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects and monitor for any vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert to ensure the security of your applications.
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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 file, removes private flags, and can lead to the pollution of the npm registry, affecting your project's integrity.
You should uninstall the representative_swan_z3n package immediately using the command: npm uninstall representative_swan_z3n.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities without any signup.
