Which versions of netkit-lite are malicious?

The following PyPI versions of netkit-lite are flagged malicious: 1.2.3, 1.2.4, 1.2.5, 1.2.6, 1.2.7, 1.2.8, 1.2.9, 1.3.0, 1.3.1, 1.3.2. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate netkit-lite if I installed it?

netkit-lite 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 netkit-lite — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If netkit-lite 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 netkit-lite part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — netkit-lite is associated with the RLMA-2025-05214, 2025-09-netkit-lite, RLUA-2026-00552 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 netkit-lite 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 netkit-lite (10 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging netkit-lite across your stack and pipelines.

Malicious package

netkit-litePyPI

Malicious code in netkit-lite (PyPI) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

MAL-2025-48895

Immediate action

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

pip uninstall netkit-lite

What this malware does

Project is intended only for presenting dependency confusion and exfiltrates basic data

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: 2025-09-netkit-lite

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.
dependency-confusion

Malicious versions

10 flagged

1.2.31.2.41.2.51.2.61.2.71.2.81.2.91.3.01.3.11.3.2

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

feb61821989927e7156257d8b89badf1f03c6c4f24a236aeb2aa9ab45844e882

324bb467c36fadba778ec46019bdeaf8b0aa0795b3afb476c9432173715ca36a

b4f77a4b324adb21fdeb5020c213d4ad7d72eefe9f26ee0c134a1cc8544255e9

7aefe226e47fa8aca7fdd054dc15258e068977243a36c39ed74168c2e42955e0

c88029a30433fdccd9cdba9cde305e2961f2095d5dc7a11f78593a9709f88274

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 netkit-lite (10 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging netkit-lite across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
netkit-lite 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 netkit-lite 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 netkit-lite 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. netkit-lite on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (versions 1.2.3, 1.2.4, 1.2.5, 1.2.6, 1.2.7, 1.2.8, 1.2.9, 1.3.0, and 2 more flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

RLMA-2025-052142025-09-netkit-liteRLUA-2026-00552

References

bad-packages.kam193.eu

Credits

Kamil Mańkowski (kam193)
ReversingLabs · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks netkit-lite-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