Malicious Code Injection in Spontaneous Kangaroo Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96728: Malicious code in spontaneous_kangaroo_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The Spontaneous Kangaroo 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 generation and publication of derivative packages, often with randomized names, to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been compromised, leading to significant security concerns.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the malicious code embedded within the Spontaneous Kangaroo Z3N package. This code modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names, which allows it to continuously republish variants. This behavior not only pollutes the npm registry but also poses a risk to developers who may unknowingly use these compromised packages, potentially leading to further exploitation.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall spontaneous_kangaroo_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 remove the Spontaneous Kangaroo Z3N package from your project by executing 'npm uninstall spontaneous_kangaroo_z3n'. This will prevent any malicious code from executing while you seek a secure alternative.
Conclusion
The Spontaneous Kangaroo Z3N package has been identified as containing malicious code that poses a significant risk to developers and their projects. It is crucial to take immediate action by updating or removing the package to safeguard your applications. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help monitor and manage vulnerabilities effectively.
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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, potentially leading to the publication of compromised packages and pollution of the npm registry.
You should uninstall the package immediately and check for any updates or patches that may address the vulnerability.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities without needing to sign up.
