Malicious Code Vulnerability in violent_dragonfly_z3n Package
Summary
MAL-2025-91966: Malicious code in violent_dragonfly_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The violent_dragonfly_z3n package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been compromised to include malicious scripts that alter package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's malicious payload that modifies the package.json file by removing private flags and changing version numbers. It generates random package names, primarily themed around Indonesian culture, and continuously republishes these variants to pollute the npm registry. This not only affects the integrity of the npm ecosystem but can also lead to security risks for developers who unknowingly use these compromised packages.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall violent_dragonfly_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 avoid using the violent_dragonfly_z3n package and look for alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Additionally, you can use the following command to uninstall the package: npm uninstall violent_dragonfly_z3n.
Conclusion
The violent_dragonfly_z3n package presents a significant security risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and repopulates the npm registry with compromised packages. It is crucial for developers to remove this package and monitor their projects for any vulnerabilities.
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FAQ
It is an npm package that was part of a token reward campaign but has been found to contain malicious code.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file and can lead to the publication of compromised packages, affecting your project's integrity.
You should uninstall the violent_dragonfly_z3n package immediately and monitor your project for any unusual behavior.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors your package-lock.json for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time without requiring code access.
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