Which versions of pwnstar-lib are malicious?

The following PyPI versions of pwnstar-lib are flagged malicious: 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate pwnstar-lib if I installed it?

pwnstar-lib 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 pwnstar-lib — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If pwnstar-lib 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 pwnstar-lib part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — pwnstar-lib is associated with the GENERIC-questionable-pentest 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 pwnstar-lib across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for pwnstar-lib (9 malicious versions).

Malicious package

pwnstar-libPyPI

Advisory published Sep 6, 2024Updated Dec 12, 2025

pwnstar-lib is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2024-12329) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.5, 1.6, 1.7…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in pwnstar-lib (PyPI)

MAL-2024-12329

Immediate action

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

pip uninstall pwnstar-lib

What this malware does

Generic campaign for all (likely) research / pentests, where the amount or art of collected data raises questions about the privacy, security and ethical side.

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

Campaign: GENERIC-questionable-pentest

Reasons (based on the campaign):

exfiltration-env-variables
exfiltration-generic
The package overrides the install command in setup.py to execute malicious code during installation.
typosquatting

Malicious versions

9 flagged

1.51.61.71.81.92.02.12.32.4

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

b3dac5dfd9f2bf5f95ad7a7588b51d247f703eb4e881afd67bc6f53b046be708

0b5a94b7cc47cb91bf552abe43f1a0d078ed5c6e668c5ff4caa8c4d9f6d14177

ea6fc7d7146c4ac70dab83c40b4d4095fdba3bd615db80fba2860d655083940b

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for pwnstar-lib (9 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
pwnstar-lib 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 pwnstar-lib 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. pwnstar-lib on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (versions 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.3, and 1 more flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

GENERIC-questionable-pentest

References

bad-packages.kam193.eu

Credits

Kamil Mańkowski (kam193)

Detect & block this

O3 blocks pwnstar-lib-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