Which versions of merbe are malicious?

The following PyPI versions of merbe are flagged malicious: 3.1.0, 3.2.1. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate merbe if I installed it?

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

If merbe 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.

Is merbe part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — merbe is associated with the RLMA-2025-02580, GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-pentest, RLUA-2026-00515 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 merbe across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for merbe (2 malicious versions).

Malicious package

merbePyPI

Advisory published Jul 26, 2024Updated Mar 19, 2026

merbe is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2025-4225) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 3.1.0, 3.2.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in merbe (PyPI)

MAL-2025-4225

Immediate action

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

pip uninstall merbe

What this malware does

Installing the package or importing the module exfiltrates basic information about the host, and the package has no other purpose.

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: GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-pentest

Reasons (based on the campaign):

The package contains code to exfiltrate basic data from the system, like IP or username. It has a limited risk.
The package overrides the install command in setup.py to execute malicious code during installation.

Malicious versions

2 flagged

3.1.03.2.1

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

e410d94932d940ef7d27f7cd618f6b76facb12cb14d4730a02ed76561f3df225

8269da06c5d33843982b0066ae252f92cbdb88e5373d247d089883c188ce2e2a

dc6162eed3f18cfb9c42521df101775d64a0a1baa3e2b7de1254c19d48f27a27

a000a8e1a41ef3f9e1f18d396d94f69284c70661a2c93f476961d683fd15547e

d3affd9e08d0c8cddbe548c7a39f455a62479ab063bedb40412b7589ec8df3fb

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for merbe (2 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
merbe 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 merbe 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

No. merbe on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (versions 3.1.0, 3.2.1 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

RLMA-2025-02580GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-pentestRLUA-2026-00515

References

bad-packages.kam193.eu

Credits

Kamil Mańkowski (kam193)
ReversingLabs · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks merbe-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

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