MAL-2026-651 Malicious code in cat-admin-tool (PyPI)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-651 is a malicious package: cat-admin-tool (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-2026-651/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-651/index.md)
- Package
- cat-admin-tool
- Registry
- PyPI
What is MAL-2026-651?
MAL-2026-651 is a malicious package in cat-admin-tool, published on 2 Feb 2026.
Official description
Obfuscated code is used to hide exfiltration of basic data (hostname, etc.).
Category: PROBABLY_PENTEST - Packages looking like typical pentest packages, but also anything that looks like testing, exploring pre-prepared kits, research & co, with clearly low-harm possibilities.
Campaign: 2026-02-zabitmajeed00
Reasons (based on the campaign):
obfuscation
The package contains code to exfiltrate basic data from the system, like IP or username. It has a limited risk.
dependency-confusion
What should I do about MAL-2026-651?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.