Which versions of bytekafka are malicious?

The following PyPI versions of bytekafka are flagged malicious: 98.7, 99.7. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate bytekafka if I installed it?

bytekafka 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 bytekafka — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If bytekafka 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 bytekafka part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — bytekafka is associated with the 2024-11-byted-dast 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 bytekafka across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for bytekafka (2 malicious versions).

Part of a larger attack: 2024-11-byted-dast published 183 malicious packages. See the full campaign →

Malicious package

bytekafkaPyPI

Advisory published Nov 5, 2024Updated Dec 12, 2025

bytekafka is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2024-10355) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 98.7, 99.7). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in bytekafka (PyPI)

MAL-2024-10355

Immediate action

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

pip uninstall bytekafka

What this malware does

A campaign of probably pentest packages flooding PYPI. Installing the package or importing the module triggers reporting basic info like hostname, path and the username to the package author. There is no other purpose of the package.

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: 2024-11-byted-dast

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.
typosquatting
dependency-confusion

The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'bytekafka' @ 99.7 (pypi) as malicious.

It is considered malicious because:

The package communicates with a domain associated with malicious activity.

Malicious versions

2 flagged

98.799.7

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

dbfd2a12ff91b5671296af36374207f6088d354cc6e39df805bc7bce975abc33

d91d33158626eb9c284857001b8566921a260bab235e22d44c961babfdc53525

32c6550914bf83f03b46acf778161efaee327dd537aa2ce0b6fbc53584c854f4

db224501664c4dd556eee114d25c695a5ceb5676c5077a0ae0cdb2672a213e63

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for bytekafka (2 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
bytekafka 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 bytekafka 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. bytekafka on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (versions 98.7, 99.7 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

2024-11-byted-dast

References

bad-packages.kam193.eu

Credits

Kamil Mańkowski (kam193)
OpenSSF: Package Analysis · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks bytekafka-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