MAL-2026-5281 Malicious code in executor-http (PyPI)

Malicious package Published
Package
executor-http
Registry
PyPI

What is MAL-2026-5281?

MAL-2026-5281 is a malicious package in executor-http, published on 6 Jun 2026.

Official description

The package ships executor_http-setup.pth, which Python auto-loads at interpreter start for any environment where the package is installed. The.pth file calls exec() on an obfuscated single-line string (mangled one-letter underscore identifiers like _O, _T, _G, _u, _s, _b, _z) that downloads https://github.com/oven-sh/bun/releases/download/bun-v1.3.13/bun-{platform}-{arch}.zip to /tmp/b/bun, chmods it executable, then runs subprocess.run([bun, 'run', _index.js]) to execute a sibling JavaScript file under the Bun runtime. A /tmp/.bun_ran sentinel suppresses re-execution. The advertised purpose of executor-http is a FastAPI/uvicorn HTTP server for executor-engine — there is no legitimate reason for it to fetch a JavaScript runtime and execute JS code outside of Python's view. The legitimate FastAPI source under executor/http/ appears unmodified, and the distribution metadata is inconsistent (__init__.py reports 0.1.2, METADATA says 0.1.3, RECORD references executor_http-0.1.2.dist-info), consistent with a hijacked publish-credential adding a dropper to an otherwise normal upstream release. The.pth-based auto-execution mechanism is itself an evasion technique that bypasses review of __init__.py and lifecycle hooks, and the alternate-runtime stage (Bun executing _index.js) places the actual payload outside any Python static analysis surface.

Versions 0.1.3, 0.1.4 were compromised.

Compromised packages start an obfuscated infostealer. The infostealer is a heavily obfuscated JavaScript code executed using Bun runtime on Python startup. It collectes all kinds of sensitive data, including API keys, credentials to package repositories, cryptocurrency assets, password manager data. Infostealer actively queries online services to collect additional secrets as well as attempts to gain persistence and spread further by publishing infected packages using collected credentials. Data are exfiltrated likely using Github. The code seems to threaten to wipe the user's data if it detects invalid GitHub tokens. Cleanup should be done with caution.

It seems to be related to the recent Mini Shai Hulud campaign.


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

Campaign: 2026-06-compr-woodpecker

Reasons (based on the campaign):

  • compromised-package

  • exfiltration-env-variables

  • exfiltration-cloud-tokens

  • exfiltration-credentials

  • abuses-pth

  • obfuscation

  • infostealer

  • The package contains code to detect if it is running in a sandbox environment.

  • exfiltration-crypto

  • files-exfiltration

  • destructive-actions

What should I do about MAL-2026-5281?

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

Sources

Also known as PYSEC-2026-590.

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