Malicious Code Injection in 'thirsty_leopard_z3n' Package
Summary
MAL-2025-96992: Malicious code in thirsty_leopard_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'thirsty_leopard_z3n' package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate token rewards by generating and publishing derivative packages. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises its integrity and the security of applications that depend on it.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'thirsty_leopard_z3n' originates from its association with a malicious campaign that floods the npm registry with derivative packages. The malicious payload modifies the package.json file by removing private flags, altering version numbers, and generating random package names. This behavior not only inflates developer reputation scores but also leads to the pollution of the npm registry, potentially affecting other packages and applications relying on it.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall thirsty_leopard_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 temporarily avoid using the 'thirsty_leopard_z3n' package in your project. If you need similar functionality, consider using alternative packages that are known to be secure and have a good reputation in the community.
Conclusion
The 'thirsty_leopard_z3n' package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code designed to manipulate the npm registry. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain application security.
See every vulnerability recorded for thirsty_leopard_z3n →
FAQ
It is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to generate and publish derivative packages.
The vulnerability can lead to the pollution of the npm registry and may compromise the integrity of your application by introducing malicious code.
You should remove the 'thirsty_leopard_z3n' package from your project and monitor for any updates or patches.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json file for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access or installation.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
