Malicious Code Injection in southern_bedbug_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96685: Malicious code in southern_bedbug_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The southern_bedbug_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 scripts that compromise 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 compromising the security of applications that depend on this package. The malicious scripts are typically named auto.js, autopublish.js, autopublish2.js, and autopublish3.js.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall southern_bedbug_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 prevent the installation of this package by using the following command to uninstall it: npm uninstall southern_bedbug_z3n. Additionally, you can monitor your project for vulnerabilities using Vulert, which analyzes your package-lock.json file for real-time alerts on open-source vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The southern_bedbug_z3n package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate package metadata and pollute the npm registry. It is crucial to remove this package from your project and monitor for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert.
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FAQ
The southern_bedbug_z3n package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the generation and publication of derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and compromise the integrity of your application by introducing malicious code.
You should uninstall the southern_bedbug_z3n package immediately to mitigate the risk of malicious code execution.
Currently, there is no patched version available for the southern_bedbug_z3n package. The best course of action is to remove it from your project.
You can use Vulert to monitor your project for open-source vulnerabilities by analyzing your package-lock.json file. You can check for vulnerabilities without signing up at the Vulert playground.
Habilume
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Complete habits, earn Lume Points, and watch your Lume grow as you stay consistent.
