threading-helper

GHSA-6xwf-jxm9-jgh8

Malicious code in threading-helper (PyPI)

Details

**Severity:** Critical

**Affected versions:** `= 0.0.1`

## Source: kam193 (74a87b74245d0639ace987a197363e4396c334434721b81ce7d1c4d7010edb55)
Installing the package or importing the module exfiltrates basic information about the host, and the package has no other purpose.


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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: GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-pentest


Reasons (based on the campaign):


 - The package contains code to exfiltrate basic data from the system, like IP or username. It has a limited risk.


 - The package overrides the install command in setup.py to execute malicious code during installation.

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Credit: [OpenSSF](https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages) ([source](https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/49d0cfba3689ed9b195d101d3a2a964c6a77f767/osv/malicious/pypi/threading-helper/MAL-2025-191898.json))

**References:**
- https://bad-packages.kam193.eu/pypi/package/threading-helper
- https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/49d0cfba3689ed9b195d101d3a2a964c6a77f767/osv/malicious/pypi/threading-helper/MAL-2025-191898.json
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6xwf-jxm9-jgh8

Compromised versions (1)

= 0.0.1

Any computer that installed or ran a compromised version should be considered fully compromised. Rotate every secret on that machine from a clean environment.