Malicious Code Injection in supporting_salamander_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96876: Malicious code in supporting_salamander_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The supporting_salamander_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. It is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which are often used to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. The package's functionality includes creating random package names and modifying existing package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability stems from malicious code embedded within the supporting_salamander_z3n package. This code modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names, leading to the continuous republishing of 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 security breaches and loss of trust in the npm ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall supporting_salamander_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 the affected package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. If you are using Vulert, you can check your application for vulnerabilities without any signup by visiting the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner.
Conclusion
The supporting_salamander_z3n package contains malicious code that poses significant risks to developers and the integrity of the npm registry. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects and monitor for any vulnerabilities to maintain a secure development environment.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the generation and publication of packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, potentially leading to security vulnerabilities and the pollution of the npm registry.
You should uninstall the package immediately using 'npm uninstall supporting_salamander_z3n' and check for any dependencies that may be affected.
Yes, you can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring installation.
Regularly update your dependencies, monitor for vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert, and review your package.json for any suspicious packages.
