Which versions of pafex are malicious?

The following PyPI versions of pafex are flagged malicious: 2.3. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate pafex if I installed it?

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

If pafex 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 pafex part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — pafex is associated with the 2026-10-webreader 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 pafex across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for pafex (version 2.3).

Malicious package

pafexPyPI

Advisory published Oct 20, 2026Updated Oct 20, 2026

pafex is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2026-18094) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 2.3). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in pafex (PyPI)

MAL-2026-18094

Immediate action

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

pip uninstall pafex

What this malware does

In this campaign, the main package (resion) has an embeded pickle disguised as a config. A related dependency (pafex) contains code to load the pickle. During unpickling, malicious code embeded in the pickle file is automatically executed. It then establishes persistence via a PTH file and downloads the next stage payload. During analysis, the final remote payload was just a stub

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

Campaign: 2026-10-webreader

Reasons (based on the campaign):

files-exfiltration
obfuscation
The malicious code is intentionally included in a dependency of the package
Downloads and executes a remote malicious script.
The package contains code to execute remote commands (probably limited to a specific set) on the victim's machine.
rat
persistence
abuses-pth

Malicious versions

1 flagged

2.3

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

8ad1f51a6f081ac9e46b3d3ffa2d0b9b150b1600caf826d940f4e3d1992cda16

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for pafex (version 2.3).
If you installed it — respond
pafex 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 pafex 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. pafex on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (version 2.3 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

2026-10-webreader

References

bad-packages.kam193.eu

Credits

Kamil Mańkowski (kam193) · reporter

Detect & block this

O3 blocks pafex-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