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supplychainattack.orgSupply chain attack incident catalog
resolvedhigh

Malicious code in adafruit-display-text (PyPI)

Malicious code was published in the adafruit-display-text package on PyPI. The package exfiltrates basic host information (IP address, username) and executes malicious code during installation via setup.py override.

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Disclosed
Last updated
Blast radius
PyPI users who installed the malicious adafruit-display-text package
Ecosystems
PyPI
Attack vectors
Compromised package
Affected entities
  • adafruit-display-textMalicious package on PyPI

A malicious version of adafruit-display-text was published on PyPI containing code designed to exfiltrate basic system information such as IP address and username. The package had no legitimate functionality beyond this data exfiltration purpose.\n\nThe attack was implemented by overriding the install command in setup.py to execute malicious code during package installation. This means the compromise occurred at the package level rather than through account takeover or build system compromise.\n\nThe incident was identified and credited to the OpenSSF's malicious-packages repository (MAL-2024-12187). The package has since been removed from PyPI, and the threat is considered resolved.

Indicators of compromise

Packages
  • adafruit-display-text

Remediation

  • Remove adafruit-display-text from all systems where it was installed
  • Audit systems that installed this package for signs of data exfiltration or unauthorized access
  • Review network logs for suspicious outbound connections from affected systems
  • Use dependency scanning tools to detect and prevent installation of known malicious packages
  • Monitor PyPI and security advisories for similar incidents

Sources

  1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-wj6w-x9pv-q32q · GitHub Advisory Database

Cite this entry

"Malicious code in adafruit-display-text (PyPI)." supplychainattack.org, Supply Chain Attack Incident Catalog. Disclosed July 21, 2026; last updated July 21, 2026. https://supplychainattack.org/incident/malicious-code-in-adafruit-display-text-pypi-1f67o8

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