Which versions of index-forum are malicious?

The following PyPI versions of index-forum are flagged malicious: 2.5.4. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate index-forum if I installed it?

index-forum 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 index-forum — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If index-forum 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.

Is index-forum part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — index-forum is associated with the 2026-09-pyjstat-smooth 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 index-forum across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for index-forum (version 2.5.4). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging index-forum across your stack and pipelines.

Malicious package

index-forumPyPI

index-forum is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2026-16268) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 2.5.4). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in index-forum (PyPI)

MAL-2026-16268

Immediate action

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

pip uninstall index-forum

What this malware does

The package hides code to exfiltrate specific files from the user's machine. The used file paths suggest it was intended to be used in a CTF-like environment.

Category: MALICIOUS - The campaign has clearly malicious intent, like infostealers.

Campaign: 2026-09-pyjstat-smooth

Reasons (based on the campaign):

files-exfiltration
obfuscation
targetted-attack
clones-real-package

Malicious versions

1 flagged

2.5.4

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

7561fd94425cdde34f5f9f3d20482a0da8680414d0f38e1e00fea419ce23cf66

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for index-forum (version 2.5.4). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging index-forum across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
index-forum 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 index-forum 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 index-forum 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

No. index-forum on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (version 2.5.4 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

2026-09-pyjstat-smooth

References

Credits

Kamil Mańkowski (kam193) · reporter

Detect & block this

O3 blocks index-forum-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