reqinstall

Details

**Severity:** Critical

**Affected versions:** `= 1.0.1`

## Source: kam193 (fabb4dfb4f519f848a714f96e09e2b5fbb289ffdd8cd86fc13c8fbf49b539962)
Campaign is split into multiple packages that altogether exfiltrates data from desktop Telegram application.

1. "pyapiepo" is a cover package that provides some useless features BUT also imports "zscaner"
2. "zscaner", when imported, automatically runs a function that is an entry point to the whole process; it uses the "scan" from "reqinstall" to walk through directories. The package also provides main logic: filtering files, triggering archiving directories and exfiltrating them. 
3. "reqinstall" ensures "requests" are installed and provides a directory tree scanning function.
4. "zmaker" provides functions to build archives from collected files.
5. "zsender" provides functions to exfiltrate data, the remote URL and a function to deobfuscate configuration in other packages.

Altogether, they look for "Telegram Desktop" folder, archive user data stored there and exfiltrate to a remote location.


---

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


Campaign: 2025-04-zscaner


Reasons (based on the campaign):


 - target:telegram


 - exfiltration-generic


 - The malicious code is intentionally included in a dependency of the package

---

Credit: [OpenSSF](https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages) ([source](https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/49d0cfba3689ed9b195d101d3a2a964c6a77f767/osv/malicious/pypi/reqinstall/MAL-2025-4238.json))

**References:**
- https://bad-packages.kam193.eu/pypi/package/reqinstall
- https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/49d0cfba3689ed9b195d101d3a2a964c6a77f767/osv/malicious/pypi/reqinstall/MAL-2025-4238.json
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-f552-v66q-vrxq

Compromised versions (1)

• = 1.0.1

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