# MAL-2026-10916: Malicious code in python-devplatform-client (PyPI)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `python-devplatform-client` (PyPI)
- **Published:** 18 Jul 2026

## What is MAL-2026-10916?

MAL-2026-10916 is a malicious package in python-devplatform-client, published on 18 Jul 2026. 

### Official description

The package's setup.py copies a telemetry.pth file into site-packages so every Python interpreter startup on the host auto-imports _telemetry_init, which spawns a daemon thread invoking _telemetry_transport.Client.initialize(). That client selects a platform-keyed asset path (/pkg/package, /pkg/package-arm64, /pkg/loader_mac, /pkg/package.exe) from a list of anonymous Cloudflare Workers mirrors (package-proxy.cf5oobworker.workers.dev, cf8oobworker/cf12oobworker/cf17-ddb/cf25-6eb.workers.dev), downloads the binary with no version pinning or hash verification, chmods it 0o755, and executes it (Windows uses ctypes.windll.kernel32 CreateProcess). A fallback ServiceDiscovery routine opens raw UDP sockets to 8.8.8.8/1.1.1.1 and issues TXT lookups against tin/tina/ldr/win.dl.well1.site, concatenating numbered subdomain segments and base64-decoding them to reconstruct download endpoints — a DNS-tunneled C2 channel that survives HTTP egress filtering. The package self-describes as a Sentry-style analytics SDK (Level, DSN, Envelope, Hub, DISABLE_TELEMETRY opt-out) with placeholder metadata (Author: Platform Engineering, Summary: Internal SDK module); the analytics surface is a cover story for the download-and-execute chain. The.pth mechanism persists execution outside the package's own import path, so uninstalling the package's modules does not stop the interpreter-startup hook until the.pth file itself is removed from site-packages.

Package presents little functionality, but excessive fake 'telemetry' module. This fake telemetry is used to download and run malicious executables. Code is designed to survive different blocks: first, there is an attempt to download the executable from one of five Cloudflare Workers. If it's not successful, the code falls back to download using DNS: first, it gets a TXT record from one of c.*.dl.well1[.]site domains, depending on the system. This record returns a number, which is then used to iterate over domains in the form <0...n>.*.dl.well1[.]site and reconstruct the encoded executable from their TXT records. The downloaded binary is then executed and removed afterward. Using a PTH file ensures persistence and runs on every Python start. In this campaign, versions 0.0.1 hold disarmed code (without the necessary configuration), which is completed in further updates.

This is a continuation of the 2026-07-haproxy-config-client campaign.

---

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

Campaign: 2026-07-andreiiiiiii_i

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.

 - Downloads and executes a remote executable.

 - covering-tracks

 - persistence

 - abuses-pth

 - data-stored-in-dns

## What should I do about MAL-2026-10916?

Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
MAL-2026-10916 is a malicious package: python-devplatform-client (PyPI). Every version was published to cause harm.

Task:
1. Search this repository's dependency manifests and lockfiles for the package, including transitive dependencies.
2. If it is present, remove it, regenerate the lockfile with the project's package manager, and replace whatever it was used for.
3. List any CI runners, developer machines or containers that installed it, so their secrets can be rotated.
4. If the package is not used anywhere, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-10916/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-10916/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-10916

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-10916/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.