snap-queuePyPI
Advisory published Updated
snap-queue is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2026-16408) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in snap-queue (PyPI)
What this malware does
The sdist's setup.py defines a _wus_boot() function that is invoked at module top-level before setup(...), so it runs automatically on pip install snap-queue. The function uses subprocess.Popen to launch pythonw.exe (replacing python.exe in sys.executable) running a sibling file _snapqueue_core.py with creationflags=0x08000000 (CREATE_NO_WINDOW), and wraps the whole call in a blanket try/except: pass. Standard modules are aliased under underscore names (_os, _sys, _sp) to reduce visual prominence. The launched _snapqueue_core.py is undocumented in README and package metadata and is unrelated to the advertised FIFO-queue functionality. The combined shape — install-time execution, deliberate console-window suppression on Windows, error-swallowing, and detachment of the child from the pip process — is a hidden install-time stager that hands control on the installer's machine to undocumented sibling code the moment the package is installed.
During installation, the package attempts to silently execute code. In analyzed versions, the payload file was missing.
Category: MALICIOUS - The campaign has clearly malicious intent, like infostealers.
Campaign: 2026-09-snap-queue
Reasons (based on the campaign):
- The package overrides the install command in setup.py to execute malicious code during installation.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for snap-queue (version 1.0.0).
If you installed it — respond
snap-queue 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 snap-queue 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
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
- Kamil Mańkowski (kam193) · reporter
Detect & block this
O3 blocks snap-queue-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.