chainutilsPyPI
Malicious code in chainutils (PyPI) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
What this malware does
During import, package triggers malicious code. First, it ensures persistency e.g., through the autostart registry key. Then, based on the encrypted config, an exfiltration demon is started. It registeres the instance in the C2 server and starts searching the file system looking for files matching given filename patterns and then monitoring changes. Discovered files are exfiltrated to a hardcoded remote target.
Category: MALICIOUS - The campaign has clearly malicious intent, like infostealers.
Campaign: 2026-04-genosys
Reasons (based on the campaign):
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files-exfiltration
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peristence-autorun
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obfuscation
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The malicious code is intentionally included in a dependency of the package
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exfiltration-credentials
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persistence
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crypto-related
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 chainutils (version 1.0.0). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging chainutils across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
chainutils 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 chainutils 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 chainutils 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
- Kamil Mańkowski (kam193) · reporter
Detect & block this
O3 blocks chainutils-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.