Which versions of pwn-control are malicious?

The following PyPI versions of pwn-control are flagged malicious: 1.0. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate pwn-control if I installed it?

pwn-control 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 pwn-control — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If pwn-control 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 pwn-control part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — pwn-control is associated with the 2026-05-system-update-tool, RLMA-2026-02106 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 pwn-control across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for pwn-control (version 1.0).

Malicious package

pwn-controlPyPI

Advisory published May 3, 2026Updated Jul 9, 2026

pwn-control is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2026-3248) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 1.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in pwn-control (PyPI)

MAL-2026-3248

Immediate action

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

pip uninstall pwn-control

What this malware does

During installation, the code runs code to silently control the device via Telegram bot (execute commands, exfiltrate files).

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

Campaign: 2026-05-system-update-tool

Reasons (based on the campaign):

rat
The package contains code to execute remote commands (probably limited to a specific set) on the victim's machine.
files-exfiltration
peristence-autorun
persistence
impersonation

Malicious versions

1 flagged

1.0

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

719b4c85917a0a8bc84e7591598b0d17098dd32c8f29b5c09eb25fe1d3e079c3

1cf3da0dde7117940020508c1067ff3ffabf142bc3aa0f3a4c799b7c7d6fe1f4

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for pwn-control (version 1.0).
If you installed it — respond
pwn-control 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 pwn-control 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. pwn-control on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.0 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

2026-05-system-update-toolRLMA-2026-02106

References

bad-packages.kam193.eu

Credits

Kamil Mańkowski (kam193) · reporter
ReversingLabs · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks pwn-control-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