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resolvedcritical

Malicious code in adstr (PyPI)

The adstr package on PyPI contained malicious code as part of a campaign by EsqueleSquad group that published nearly 6000 malicious packages across PyPI and NPM. The malicious code executed spyware and information-stealing malware.

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Disclosed
Last updated
Blast radius
Potentially thousands of installations; part of a large-scale malicious package campaign affecting nearly 6000 PyPI and NPM packages.
Ecosystems
PyPI
Attack vectors
Compromised package
Threat actor
Esquelesquad
Affected entities
  • adstrPyPI package containing malicious code

The adstr package on PyPI was identified as containing malicious code. This package was part of a large-scale supply chain attack campaign attributed to the EsqueleSquad group, which published nearly 6000 malicious packages across both PyPI and NPM ecosystems.\n\nThe malicious code in these packages was designed to execute spyware and information-stealing malware on affected systems. The adstr package was documented in the OpenSSF's malicious-packages repository with identifier MAL-2023-2503.\n\nThis incident represents a significant supply chain compromise affecting multiple package ecosystems simultaneously, with the potential to impact a large number of downstream users and projects that installed these packages.

Indicators of compromise

Packages
  • adstr

Remediation

  • Remove the adstr package from all environments and dependencies
  • Audit systems that may have installed adstr for signs of compromise or data exfiltration
  • Review and update any credentials or sensitive information that may have been exposed
  • Monitor for indicators of compromise related to spyware or information-stealing malware
  • Check the OpenSSF malicious-packages repository for the complete list of affected packages in this campaign and remove all identified malicious packages

Sources

  1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-vq7g-x7fr-xfpj · GitHub Advisory Database

Cite this entry

"Malicious code in adstr (PyPI)." supplychainattack.org, Supply Chain Attack Incident Catalog. Disclosed July 21, 2026; last updated July 21, 2026. https://supplychainattack.org/incident/malicious-code-in-adstr-pypi-crb97z

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