Malicious Code Injection in top_cricket_z3n: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-91217: Malicious code in top_cricket_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
The package 'top_cricket_z3n' is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript package management. It is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been linked to numerous malicious packages flooding the npm registry. These packages often contain scripts designed to manipulate package metadata and inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in 'top_cricket_z3n' involves malicious code that modifies the package.json file to remove private flags and change version numbers. It generates random package names, often themed around Indonesian culture, and continuously republishes these variants to pollute the npm registry. This behavior can lead to significant security risks, including the potential for dependency confusion and the spread of malicious code across projects that rely on this package.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall top_cricket_z3nIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can prevent the installation of this package by using npm's package-lock.json to monitor dependencies. Additionally, you can utilize Vulert to monitor and alert for vulnerabilities in your open-source dependencies. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner without any signup.
Conclusion
The 'top_cricket_z3n' package presents a significant security risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and floods the npm registry with harmful variants. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of their applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for top_cricket_z3n →
FAQ
The malicious code modifies package metadata to remove private flags and generates random package names, leading to potential security risks.
You can use Vulert to monitor your dependencies in real-time. The Vulert playground allows you to check for vulnerabilities without needing to sign up.
It is advisable to remove the package from your project immediately and check for any other dependencies that may be affected.
While specific exploits have not been detailed, the nature of the malicious code poses risks of dependency confusion and the spread of malware.
Regularly check the npm registry for updates and utilize tools like Vulert to receive real-time alerts on vulnerabilities.
