Malicious Code Injection in stale_kiwi_z3n Package: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-96745: Malicious code in stale_kiwi_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The stale_kiwi_z3n package is part of a series of npm packages that emerged during the tea.xyz token reward campaign. These packages are designed to inflate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. This behavior poses a significant risk to the integrity of the npm registry and can lead to the proliferation of malicious code.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in stale_kiwi_z3n is rooted in its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior allows the package to continuously republish variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially compromising other packages. The origin of this issue is linked to the broader trend of malicious packages targeting npm to exploit developer incentives.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall stale_kiwi_z3nIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can prevent the installation of stale_kiwi_z3n by using npm's package-lock.json file to lock your dependencies. However, the best course of action is to remove the package entirely.
Conclusion
The stale_kiwi_z3n package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious behavior. It is crucial for developers to be vigilant and remove such packages from their projects to maintain security and integrity. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help in monitoring for vulnerabilities effectively.
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FAQ
stale_kiwi_z3n is an npm package that is part of a malicious campaign to inflate developer reputation scores by generating and publishing derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the proliferation of malicious code in your project, potentially compromising its security and integrity.
You should uninstall the stale_kiwi_z3n package immediately and ensure your project dependencies are updated.
There is no patch for the stale_kiwi_z3n package as it is inherently malicious. The best action is to remove it from your project.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just the package-lock.json file. You can also check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground without any signup.
