syswatchPyPI
syswatch is a confirmed malicious PyPI package (MAL-2026-15811) 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 syswatch (PyPI)
What this malware does
Importing syswatch starts a background thread that, on Windows, fetches a JSON manifest from https://github-repo.up.railway.app/vbv_a8F3kL92xQ/manifest.json, downloads the executable referenced by manifest.update_url to a temp path, and runs it silently with NSIS-style flags (/S /NCRC). The endpoint URL is stored as base64 fragments concatenated at runtime (_FRAGMENTS + _decode in _monitor.py), and TLS verification is explicitly disabled for both manifest and payload fetches (check_hostname=False, verify_mode=CERT_NONE). After execution the code launches a ServiceHelperUtility.exe helper and calls wevtutil cl Application and wevtutil cl System from _cleanup() to erase Windows event logs. The host github-repo.up.railway.app is a Railway-hosted lookalike of GitHub, not a GitHub-owned domain. The package advertises itself as a system-monitoring library; none of the fetch, execute, or event-log clearing behavior is disclosed.
During import, malicious code is started in the background. On Windows, it downloads and installs a malicious executable, and disguises it as a system utility. After installation, the code attempts to cover its tracks by cleaning logs and removing downloaded files. The installed executable is a heavily obfuscated malware with multiple sandbox evasion techniques, finally running an infostealer identifying itself as "Snow Stealer". It collects at least browser data and modifies cryptowallet applications.
Category: MALICIOUS - The campaign has clearly malicious intent, like infostealers.
Campaign: 2026-08-envprovision
Reasons (based on the campaign):
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infostealer
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Downloads and executes a remote executable.
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obfuscation
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action-hidden-in-lib-usage
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exfiltration-browser-data
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The package contains code to detect if it is running in a sandbox environment.
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exfiltration-crypto
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malware
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covering-tracks
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persistence
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for syswatch (version 1.0.0). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging syswatch across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
syswatch 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 syswatch 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 syswatch 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
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
- Kamil Mańkowski (kam193) · reporter
Detect & block this
O3 blocks syswatch-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.