joule-btp-extensionPyPI
joule-btp-extension is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2026-13732) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 0.1.0, 0.1.1, 0.1.3…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in joule-btp-extension (PyPI)
What this malware does
On pip install, setup.py runs a collect_and_exfiltrate() routine that reads /private/etc/passwd, /private/etc/hosts, and /private/etc/sudoers; captures selected environment variables (HOME, USER, LOGNAME, VIRTUAL_ENV, PATH, PIP_CACHE_DIR, npm_config_prefix, GIT_EDITOR); recursively globs the installer's $HOME and current working directory and reads up to 4096 bytes of each file; and additionally invokes os.system("cat /private/etc/passwd"). The collected data is JSON-serialized and POSTed via urllib to a hardcoded ATTACKER_URL (currently the placeholder http://127.0.0.1:4445/collect, with an author comment 'replace before deploying') using a spoofed 'User-Agent: pip/23.0' header to blend with pip traffic, and all exceptions are silently swallowed. setup.py also writes a marker file '.joule-btp-extension-was-here' into $VIRTUAL_ENV/bin, demonstrating write access to the installer's virtualenv bin directory for persistence. The package's own docstring declares it a proof-of-concept sandbox-escape supply-chain attack targeting SAP Joule Desktop on macOS; the PoC framing does not change what the code does on install: it harvests installer files and identity data and beacons them off-host.
During installation, the code exfiltrates basic information and exfiltrates more information to a localhost service as well as starts a reverse shell there. It seems to be an internal test that was uploaded to a public repository.
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: 2026-08-joule-btp-extension
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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The package contains code to exfiltrate basic data from the system, like IP or username. It has a limited risk.
The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'joule-btp-extension' @ 0.1.6 (pypi) as malicious.
It is considered malicious because:
- The package communicates with a domain associated with malicious activity.
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 joule-btp-extension (5 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging joule-btp-extension across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
joule-btp-extension 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 joule-btp-extension 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 joule-btp-extension 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
- Amazon Inspector · finder
- Kamil Mańkowski (kam193) · reporter
- OpenSSF: Package Analysis · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks joule-btp-extension-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.