Malicious code in acloud-client-uses (PyPI)
A malicious PyPI package named acloud-client-uses was discovered as part of a multi-year campaign that clones legitimate cloud SDK packages and exfiltrates credentials. The package imports a helper module (time-check-server) that sends cloud credentials to a remote server instead of benign data.
- Disclosed
- Last updated
- Blast radius
- Unknown; depends on adoption of acloud-client-uses and related packages in the campaign
- Ecosystems
- Attack vectors
- Affected entities
- acloud-client-usesMalicious package on PyPI that clones aliyun-python-sdk-core and exfiltrates cloud credentials
A malicious package campaign targeting cloud SDK users was identified on PyPI. The acloud-client-uses package is a clone of the legitimate aliyun-python-sdk-core package with injected malicious code designed to exfiltrate cloud credentials.
The attack operates in two stages: helper packages like time-check-server and snapshot-photo contain code that communicates with a remote server, while packages like acloud-client-uses import these helpers and redirect credential data to the attacker instead of legitimate operations. Similar variations targeting AWS clients were also discovered.
The campaign appears to have been active for at least two years, with the snapshot-photo package containing the same credential-stealing functionality in earlier iterations. The malicious intent is to harvest cloud provider credentials from developers and applications using these packages.
The incident was identified and credited to the OpenSSF malicious-packages project, which tracks such supply chain threats.
Indicators of compromise
- Packages
- acloud-client-uses
- time-check-server
- snapshot-photo
Remediation
- Immediately uninstall acloud-client-uses and any related packages (time-check-server, snapshot-photo, and similar variants) from all environments
- Audit pip package dependencies for any of the malicious packages listed in the campaign
- Rotate all cloud credentials (AWS, Aliyun/Alibaba Cloud) that may have been exposed if these packages were installed
- Use dependency scanning tools to detect and prevent installation of typosquatted or malicious packages
- Monitor cloud provider audit logs for unauthorized access or API calls from the period when malicious packages were installed
- Replace with legitimate packages: use aliyun-python-sdk-core directly from official sources, and boto3/official AWS SDKs for AWS operations
Sources
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-2c23-r9vw-g599 · GitHub Advisory Database
Cite this entry
"Malicious code in acloud-client-uses (PyPI)." supplychainattack.org, Supply Chain Attack Incident Catalog. Disclosed July 21, 2026; last updated July 21, 2026. https://supplychainattack.org/incident/malicious-code-in-acloud-client-uses-pypi-tz171b
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