Malicious code in adproof (PyPI)
The adproof package on PyPI contained malicious code that executed spyware and information-stealing malware. It was part of a campaign by EsqueleSquad group that published nearly 6000 malicious packages across PyPI and NPM.
- Disclosed
- Last updated
- Blast radius
- Potentially thousands of installations; part of a campaign distributing ~6000 malicious packages across PyPI and NPM.
- Ecosystems
- Attack vectors
- Affected entities
- adproofMalicious package on PyPI
The adproof package published on PyPI was identified as containing malicious code designed to execute spyware and information-stealing malware on affected systems. This package was part of a large-scale campaign attributed to the EsqueleSquad group.\n\nThe EsqueleSquad group published approximately 6000 malicious packages across both PyPI and NPM ecosystems as part of this coordinated campaign. The malicious adproof package was identified and documented by the OpenSSF (Open Source Security Foundation) in their malicious-packages repository.\n\nThe incident has been documented in the GitHub Advisory Database (GHSA-c62w-7mrr-qfxw) and tracked as MAL-2023-2497 in the OpenSSF malicious packages database.
Indicators of compromise
- Packages
- adproof
Remediation
- Immediately uninstall the adproof package from all systems where it may have been installed
- Audit systems that installed adproof for signs of compromise, including unauthorized access, data exfiltration, or persistence mechanisms
- Review PyPI and NPM package dependencies for other packages from the EsqueleSquad campaign (~6000 packages total)
- Implement package verification and scanning in dependency management workflows
- Monitor for indicators of compromise related to spyware and information-stealing malware
Sources
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-c62w-7mrr-qfxw · GitHub Advisory Database
Cite this entry
"Malicious code in adproof (PyPI)." supplychainattack.org, Supply Chain Attack Incident Catalog. Disclosed July 21, 2026; last updated July 21, 2026. https://supplychainattack.org/incident/malicious-code-in-adproof-pypi-opi6hp
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