Malicious Code Injection in Theoretical Mackerel Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-91016: Malicious code in theoretical_mackerel_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
Theoretical Mackerel Z3N is an npm package that is part of the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publishing of derivative packages to inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been compromised by malicious code that alters its functionality and poses a significant threat to users.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, changes version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, polluting the npm registry and potentially affecting other packages and developers. The malicious scripts (auto.js, autopublish.js, etc.) are specifically designed to automate these harmful actions.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall theoretical_mackerel_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 npm's package-lock.json file to monitor dependencies. Ensure that you do not include theoretical_mackerel_z3n in your dependencies. You can also use the following command to uninstall it if it is already installed: npm uninstall theoretical_mackerel_z3n.
Conclusion
The Theoretical Mackerel Z3N package has been compromised by malicious code that alters its functionality and poses a risk to developers. It is essential to update or remove the package to mitigate these risks. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help monitor for such vulnerabilities in real-time.
See every vulnerability recorded for theoretical_mackerel_z3n →
FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the generation of derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, removes private flags, and continuously republishes variants, which can lead to reputation damage and dependency issues.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using your package-lock.json file. You can check your application for vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground without any signup.
If no patched version is available, it is recommended to remove the package from your project to avoid potential risks.
Regularly monitor your dependencies using tools like Vulert, and keep your packages updated to the latest secure versions.
