Which versions of pentest-copilot are malicious?

The following RubyGems versions of pentest-copilot are flagged malicious: 1.0.1. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate pentest-copilot if I installed it?

pentest-copilot 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 pentest-copilot — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If pentest-copilot 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 pentest-copilot part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — pentest-copilot is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-022650 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 pentest-copilot across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for pentest-copilot (version 1.0.1).

Malicious package

pentest-copilotRubyGems

Advisory published Nov 12, 2026Updated Nov 12, 2026

pentest-copilot is a confirmed malicious RubyGems package (MAL-2026-19177) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 1.0.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in pentest-copilot (RubyGems)

MAL-2026-19177

Immediate action

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

gem uninstall pentest-copilot

What this malware does

The gem declares an extension script (mkrf_conf.rb / RakeBuilder) that runs automatically on gem install. At install time it collects installer-side identifiers (current working directory, home directory, hostname, login name) and reads local files /etc/resolv.conf, /etc/passwd, and /etc/hosts, then performs a DNS lookup to the Burp Collaborator subdomain vfe1kgmcry39220zb5fl06hi49acy2mr.oastify.com and opens a TLS connection to the same host on port 443, POSTing the collected host identifiers and file contents in the request body. The Collaborator destination is attacker-controlled out-of-band infrastructure typical of install-time exfiltration beacons.

The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'pentest-copilot' @ 1.0.1 (rubygems) as malicious.

It is considered malicious because:

The package communicates with a domain associated with malicious activity.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

1.0.1

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

8ed8a5f6d36e52a081b16492d7bc0cd65dc392d085384781cf3d661d47fca019

23e305059e2c1f7f8f37b8478aa90214d1e916fc3f2287eb90f7bca7e9dcac32

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for pentest-copilot (version 1.0.1).
If you installed it — respond
pentest-copilot 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 pentest-copilot 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. pentest-copilot on RubyGems has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.0.1 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-022650

References

rubygems.org

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder
OpenSSF: Package Analysis · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks pentest-copilot-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

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