MAL-2026-2948 Malicious code in leavemealone (PyPI)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-2948 is a malicious package: leavemealone (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-2026-2948/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-2948/index.md)
- Package
- leavemealone
- Registry
- PyPI
What is MAL-2026-2948?
MAL-2026-2948 is a malicious package in leavemealone, published on 20 Apr 2026.
Official description
During building the package, it executes encrypted code. The content is unclear as the decryption key bases on the local environment variable. Given leaving a "flag" file at the end, this package can also be part of a CTF-like exercise, but it's not possible to be sure given the encrypted payload.
Category: MALICIOUS - The campaign has clearly malicious intent, like infostealers.
Campaign: 2026-04-leavemealone
Reasons (based on the campaign):
- obfuscation
What should I do about MAL-2026-2948?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.