aichannelPyPI
aichannel is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2026-11415) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 0.1.2). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in aichannel (PyPI)
What this malware does
Package connects to a hardcoded C2 socket server (SOCKET_SERVER_HOST/SOCKET_SERVER_PORT from cognikit.config) and runs a typed-message session loop that gives the remote peer full control of the installer's host. handlers.handle_command base64-decodes attacker-supplied strings and passes them to subprocess.run(..., shell=True) via command.execute_command, yielding arbitrary shell RCE. The session dispatch also implements download (write attacker files to disk), upload/archive (exfiltrate arbitrary files or zipped directories to the C2), install/grabext (install or steal browser extensions), and keylog (upload keylogger output). launcher.run_helper spawns a background daemon that keystrokes and monitors the clipboard, swapping crypto wallet addresses with attacker-supplied replacements fetched from {DJANGO_API_URL}/address and decoded via base64 + XOR with the static key 'w3x'; the keylog file is later uploaded via upload_file_to_public_api(kl.log_path, machine_id, 'key'). The obfuscated wallet-replacement list and the clipper/keylogger integration confirm hostile intent.
In this campaign, some packages (e.g. cognikit, aiassistcore) are pulled as dependencies and contain the C2 configuration and the malicious functionality, while others (like aichannel) provide fake functionality and silently execute malicious actions from dependencies. The malicious functionality is oriented to replace the copied cryptocurrency wallet addresses with these controlled by the attacker and downloaded from the C2 server, exfiltrating browser data, establishing a remote control over the device, placing malicious extensions in browsers.
IoCs are consistent with those previously attributed to North Korea's "Contagious Interview" campaign. The known TTP suggest these packages are used as dependencies in malicious interview assessments or cryptocurrency projects.
Category: MALICIOUS - The campaign has clearly malicious intent, like infostealers.
Campaign: 2026-07-cognikit
Reasons (based on the campaign):
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crypto-related
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The malicious code is intentionally included in a dependency of the package
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keylogger
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clipboard-modify
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exfiltration-browser-data
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persistence
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rat
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The package contains code to execute remote commands (probably limited to a specific set) on the victim's machine.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for aichannel (version 0.1.2). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging aichannel across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
aichannel 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 aichannel was ever installed, its post-install/runtime payload may have already executed. O3's L7 egress monitoring and runtime eBPF sensors detect the credential exfiltration or command-and-control callback after install and block the malicious outbound channel, so you catch and contain the actual compromise — not just the presence of the package.
How O3 protects you
O3 blocks aichannel before install through its supply-chain scanner, and if it has already run, detects and severs the exfiltration or C2 callback at runtime through L7 egress monitoring and eBPF.
Frequently asked questions
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
- Kamil Mańkowski (kam193) · reporter
Detect & block this
O3 blocks aichannel-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.