MAL-2026-1085

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Import Source
https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/pypi/ctf-toolkit/MAL-2026-1085.json
JSON Data
https://api.osv.dev/v1/vulns/MAL-2026-1085
Published
2026-02-28T11:25:17Z
Modified
2026-02-28T12:31:50.609004Z
Summary
Malicious code in ctf-toolkit (PyPI)
Details

-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-

Source: kam193 (e47981485066b674150cc4d9d3709e41707e69111f188e54e772becc7349ab89)

The package states to contain a modified curl library to allow low-level request modifications. However, there is also undisclosed malicious behavior:

  1. The package installs a .pth file directly in the site-packages directory, effectively running a special code on each Python usage.
  2. This code performs "TLS context warm-up" by contacting a URL (Github) in the background, in a separate process; this is suspicious on its own as it's unclear how a separate process can warm up further requests in the main process, but...
  3. ...besides the URL given in the code above, the library always contacts a hardcoded URL, identifying itself as a VPN client.

Additionally, there is no source code of the modified library anywhere, and the related Github hosting the package code account is 1-day old.

Category: MALICIOUS - The campaign has clearly malicious intent, like infostealers.

Campaign: 2026-02-ctf-toolkit

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.
Database specific 
{
    "malicious-packages-origins": [
        {
            "source": "kam193",
            "sha256": "e47981485066b674150cc4d9d3709e41707e69111f188e54e772becc7349ab89",
            "versions": [
                "0.1.0"
            ],
            "import_time": "2026-02-28T11:37:37.82652693Z",
            "modified_time": "2026-02-28T11:25:17.282133Z",
            "id": "pypi/2026-02-ctf-toolkit/ctf-toolkit"
        },
        {
            "source": "kam193",
            "sha256": "a6897f514bad93436c6458f83ca25706fed8306de7dadce313cff934170d9832",
            "versions": [
                "0.1.0"
            ],
            "import_time": "2026-02-28T12:12:42.923798107Z",
            "modified_time": "2026-02-28T11:25:17.282133Z",
            "id": "pypi/2026-02-ctf-toolkit/ctf-toolkit"
        }
    ],
    "iocs": {
        "domains": [
            "vpnico-1318014164.cos.ap-singapore.myqcloud.com"
        ],
        "urls": [
            "https://vpnico-1318014164.cos.ap-singapore.myqcloud.com/ico.bmp"
        ]
    }
}
References
Credits

Affected packages

PyPI / ctf-toolkit

Package

Name
ctf-toolkit
View open source insights on deps.dev
Purl
pkg:pypi/ctf-toolkit

Affected ranges

Affected versions

0.*
0.1.0

Database specific

source 
"https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/pypi/ctf-toolkit/MAL-2026-1085.json"