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Malicious package

pywoolPyPI

Malicious code in pywool (PyPI) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

MAL-2023-8591
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
pip uninstall pywool

What this malware does

Malicious packages campaign targeting developers, payload is hidden using Steganography, exfiltrate host information

Malicious versions

2 flagged
1.0.01.0.2

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

1ba602a97accda8e614fcf38d1af1cb7f1878bf2bd450b21f1be16a4c260123a
eff579325bff64990fe7221b3226977dcd5c42c3b41731a8502f579553d815ff

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer
  1. Find it

    Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for pywool (2 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging pywool across your stack and pipelines.

  2. If you installed it — respond

    pywool 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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If pywool 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.

  4. How O3 protects you

    O3 blocks pywool 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. pywool on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (versions 1.0.0, 1.0.2 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

RLMA-2024-04640

References

Credits

  • Checkmarx · finder
  • ReversingLabs · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks pywool-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.

pywool (PyPI) malicious package — MAL-2023-8591 | O3 Security