MAL-2026-3693 Malicious code in kaggle-runner (PyPI)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-3693 is a malicious package: kaggle-runner (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-2026-3693/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-3693/index.md)
- Package
- kaggle-runner
- Registry
- PyPI
What is MAL-2026-3693?
MAL-2026-3693 is a malicious package in kaggle-runner, published on 12 May 2026.
Official description
kaggle_runner/coordinator.py embeds a bash reverse-shell template (rvs_str) that connects to vtool.duckdns.org:23454 via ncat with retry/backoff plus a heartbeat channel on port 23455. When a consumer calls Coordinator.create_runner(config), the package writes rvs.sh alongside entry.sh/runner.sh/setup_pty/gdrive_setup into a kernel folder; Coordinator.run_local() then executes
python main.py, which invokes bash -x entry.sh, which in turn backgrounds rvs.sh — opening an interactive shell from the runner's host back to the author-controlled duckdns.org subdomain. The same bundle wgets a gdrive binary from github.com/gdrive-org/gdrive/releases/download/2.1.0/gdrive-linux-x64 and installs it to /bin/gdrive. None of this behavior is documented in the README (which advertises AMQP logging for Kaggle kernels). The reverse shell does not fire at import/install time — setup.py and init.py are clean — but it fires as part of the package's advertised Coordinator API flow, so any consumer who actually uses the library exposes the executing host (their machine or a Kaggle kernel they push) to the author. A separate file (kaggle_runner/utils/utils.py) also hardcodes CloudAMQP credentials (termite.rmq.cloudamqp.com / drdsfaew) with a comment 'oh~ just give my password out~' — this is author self-harm and on its own would be allow, but combined with the reverse-shell pipe to a duckdns C2 host, the installer-side impact is clear.What should I do about MAL-2026-3693?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.