Malicious Code Injection in suspicious_cicada_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96902: Malicious code in suspicious_cicada_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The suspicious_cicada_z3n package is part of a broader campaign associated with the tea.xyz token reward initiative, which has been known to flood the npm registry with numerous packages. These packages are designed to manipulate developer reputation scores by automatically generating and publishing derivative packages with randomized names. The malicious nature of this package lies in its ability to alter package.json files, remove private flags, and continuously republish variants, thereby polluting the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
This vulnerability originates from the suspicious_cicada_z3n package, which contains malicious code that modifies the package.json file to remove private flags and changes version numbers. It generates random package names, often themed around Indonesian culture, and continuously republishes these variants to inflate developer reputation scores fraudulently. The ramifications include potential security risks for developers who unknowingly use these packages, as they may inadvertently contribute to the pollution of the npm registry and compromise their own projects.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall suspicious_cicada_z3nIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a workaround, you can manually check your package-lock.json file for any instances of suspicious_cicada_z3n and remove it. You can use the following command to uninstall the package: npm uninstall suspicious_cicada_z3n.
Conclusion
The suspicious_cicada_z3n package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package.json files and repopulates the npm registry with harmful variants. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for similar vulnerabilities to maintain security and integrity.
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FAQ
The suspicious_cicada_z3n package is part of a malicious campaign that aims to inflate developer reputation scores through the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages.
This vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may expose your project to security risks if you are using affected packages.
You should uninstall the suspicious_cicada_z3n package immediately and check your project for any other potentially malicious packages.
Currently, there is no patch available for the suspicious_cicada_z3n package. The best course of action is to remove it from your project.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground without any signup.
