MAL-2026-12502 Malicious code in gcli-control (PyPI)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-12502 is a malicious package: gcli-control (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-2026-12502/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-12502/index.md)
- Package
- gcli-control
- Registry
- PyPI
What is MAL-2026-12502?
MAL-2026-12502 is a malicious package in gcli-control, published on 5 Aug 2026.
Official description
The package installs and runs a host daemon (
python -m gcli host) that polls a shared JSON document at api.npoint.io for commands, decrypts them, executes them on the installer's machine, and posts encrypted results back. Any party who writes to that shared document controls full-host code execution on every daemon polling it. host.py hardcodes a default rendezvous bin ID 599ac3c39189fcc26e5a shared across all installers who do not override it, and crypto.py implements a __BYPASS__ password sentinel with a BY: base64-only path that disables AES-GCM entirely, allowing anonymous unauthenticated command injection against every daemon on the default bin. The command dispatcher exposes 200+ operations invokable through this channel, including browser_passwords, browser_cookies, keylog_start/read/save, webcam_capture, shell_history, wifi_password, screenshot, and users add/change_password (credential and secret harvesting); and install_startup/install_scheduled/install_watchdog writing Windows Run keys, systemd user services, cron entries, and startup-folder launchers that relaunch python -m gcli host on boot, plus an elevator module offering elevate_uac / elevate_sudo / persist_admin for privilege escalation. The combination is a full remote-access trojan: remote command execution, credential/browser-secret exfiltration, keylogging and webcam capture, boot persistence, and privilege elevation, all reachable by any party who knows the default rendezvous bin.What should I do about MAL-2026-12502?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.