Which versions of r-irkernel are malicious?

The following PyPI versions of r-irkernel are flagged malicious: 1.9.12, 2.1.1. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate r-irkernel if I installed it?

r-irkernel 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 r-irkernel — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If r-irkernel 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 r-irkernel part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — r-irkernel is associated with the GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-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 r-irkernel 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 r-irkernel (2 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging r-irkernel across your stack and pipelines.

Malicious package

r-irkernelPyPI

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

MAL-2025-191851

Immediate action

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

pip uninstall r-irkernel

What this malware does

Installing the package or importing the module exfiltrates basic information about the host, and the package has no other purpose.

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: GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-pentest

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.
The package overrides the install command in setup.py to execute malicious code during installation.

Malicious versions

2 flagged

1.9.122.1.1

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

85ef8be37279139c446e671f7fd548ce6f964d04cd769fec42a9575f33c9da26

0d34dbf9f927fd7d2e9b1b97bf72e0063bbccd6f536a9c2e9e40c2f9371abd8e

e555d033855ca625e2eaa718ecb27c579f60bfd7224101ebd048ee14cfba94d3

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 r-irkernel (2 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging r-irkernel across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
r-irkernel 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 r-irkernel 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 r-irkernel 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. r-irkernel on PyPI has been identified as a malicious package (versions 1.9.12, 2.1.1 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-pentest

References

bad-packages.kam193.eu

Credits

Kamil Mańkowski (kam193)

Detect & block this

O3 blocks r-irkernel-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