cti-ctf-challengesPyPI
Advisory published Updated
cti-ctf-challenges is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2025-191709) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 0.1.0, 0.1.1, 0.1.2). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in cti-ctf-challenges (PyPI)
What this malware does
If the method from the module is called, it attempts to download a malicious code (identified as msf payload) and save it locally. In the analysed version, the code starting the malicious code was commented out.
Category: MALICIOUS - The campaign has clearly malicious intent, like infostealers.
Campaign: 2025-07-web3dummycti
Reasons (based on the campaign):
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The package contains code to create a reverse shell, allowing an attacker to execute any commands on the victim's machine.
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action-hidden-in-lib-usage
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Downloads and executes a remote malicious script.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for cti-ctf-challenges (3 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
cti-ctf-challenges 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 cti-ctf-challenges 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
Campaign
References
Credits
- Kamil Mańkowski (kam193)
Detect & block this
O3 blocks cti-ctf-challenges-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.