Which versions of initer are malicious?

The following PyPI versions of initer are flagged malicious: 0.2.1, 0.2.2, 0.2.5, 0.2.6. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate initer if I installed it?

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

If initer 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 initer part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — initer is associated with the RLMA-2025-03617, 2025-05-pyiniter, RLUA-2026-00425 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 initer 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 initer (4 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging initer across your stack and pipelines.

Malicious package

initerPyPI

Malicious code in initer (PyPI) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

MAL-2025-6524

Immediate action

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

pip uninstall initer

What this malware does

File is designed to download, hide under system-like name, and run a remote executable, widely identified as malicious.

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

Campaign: 2025-05-pyiniter

Reasons (based on the campaign):

infostealer
Downloads and executes a remote executable.

Malicious versions

4 flagged

0.2.10.2.20.2.50.2.6

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

d861b2940416441d955f0078fd9ba3c35223bfce822fc68aea70992eaeff8ef1

f45885faecd0182d82ca81d8adaf52a442b0f493b06eb7b74e8252ab4f009305

d2aac1e40660cbe4323a93d03087f3b9a2d596a5dcfcf2bae3cb0a2ab37cf646

21397f251ca4fbd591f60ad9a363777197cfd0746788a1c23854abbbe948bb6b

c8ee98ac9e79a9222adb2248cc6ed6d4c35f32b5ebe9a3a2b9f68a09b8140606

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 initer (4 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging initer across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
initer 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 initer 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 initer 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. initer on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (versions 0.2.1, 0.2.2, 0.2.5, 0.2.6 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

RLMA-2025-036172025-05-pyiniterRLUA-2026-00425

References

Credits

Kamil Mańkowski (kam193)
ReversingLabs · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks initer-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