Malicious Code Vulnerability in Respectable Clownfish Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-107950: Malicious code in respectable_clownfish_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
The Respectable Clownfish 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 are often used to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises its integrity.
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 integrity of the npm ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall respectable_clownfish_z3nIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can avoid using the Respectable Clownfish Z3N package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks.
Conclusion
The Respectable Clownfish Z3N package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and pollutes 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.
See every vulnerability recorded for respectable_clownfish_z3n →
FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may compromise your project's integrity by introducing unwanted packages.
You should uninstall the package immediately and check for any dependencies that may be affected.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities in your application without needing to sign up.
