Which versions of abseil-py are malicious?

The following PyPI versions of abseil-py are flagged malicious: 0.1.0. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate abseil-py if I installed it?

abseil-py is built to steal secrets, so assume every credential the build or runtime could read is compromised. Remove it from your project and lockfile, then rotate ALL exposed secrets — npm/registry tokens, cloud keys, CI/CD secrets, SSH keys, and any .env values — from a known-clean machine. Audit logs for unauthorized use of those credentials.

I already installed abseil-py — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If abseil-py was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.

Is abseil-py part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — abseil-py is associated with the GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-pentest, IN-MAL-2026-012882 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find abseil-py across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for abseil-py (version 0.1.0).

Malicious package

abseil-pyPyPI

Advisory published Jul 16, 2026Updated Aug 5, 2026

abseil-py is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2026-10760) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 0.1.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in abseil-py (PyPI)

MAL-2026-10760

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

pip uninstall abseil-py

What this malware does

Distribution name abseil-py name-squats Google's widely-used absl-py (Abseil Python common libraries); the import name abseil_py also differs from the legitimate absl module. During bdist_wheel, setup.py walks the parent-process chain via psutil and matches process names against a hardcoded list of AI coding agent markers (claude-code, codex, cursor, gemini, grok, copilot, aider, opencode, qwen, amazon-q). On a match, _report() POSTs a JSON payload containing the package name, event, matched agent label, and timestamp to the hardcoded endpoint https://vero-research.com/ using urllib.request.urlopen with a spoofed browser User-Agent. The init prints a 'research study' disclaimer only after installation has already occurred and the beacon has fired. The behavior transmits information about the installer's environment (which AI coding tool triggered the install) to an author-controlled third-party endpoint without prior disclosure or opt-out.

Installing the package or importing the module exfiltrates basic information about the host, and the package has no other purpose.

Category: PROBABLY_PENTEST - Packages looking like typical pentest packages, but also anything that looks like testing, exploring pre-prepared kits, research & co, with clearly low-harm possibilities.

Campaign: GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-pentest

Reasons (based on the campaign):

The package contains code to exfiltrate basic data from the system, like IP or username. It has a limited risk.
The package overrides the install command in setup.py to execute malicious code during installation.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

0.1.0

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

6b0ae8e92b62a5524d9ca665a07b3139a9cd4af2af0a0016dc6d425ecc2cc72e

7087d90aa66c4de3fd4d92cd4f25088ea3ef20c78223a787768779ef5e1f0ac6

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for abseil-py (version 0.1.0).
If you installed it — respond
abseil-py is built to steal secrets, so assume every credential the build or runtime could read is compromised. Remove it from your project and lockfile, then rotate ALL exposed secrets — npm/registry tokens, cloud keys, CI/CD secrets, SSH keys, and any .env values — from a known-clean machine. Audit logs for unauthorized use of those credentials.
Did it already run?
If abseil-py was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.

Frequently asked questions

No. abseil-py on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (version 0.1.0 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-pentestIN-MAL-2026-012882

References

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder
Kamil Mańkowski (kam193) · reporter

Detect & block this

O3 blocks abseil-py-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

Explore

All malware advisories How O3 detects malware Vulnerability database