Malicious code in adultra (PyPI)
The adultra 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 package executed spyware and information-stealing malware.
- Disclosed
- Last updated
- Blast radius
- Potentially thousands of installations; part of a large-scale malicious package campaign affecting both PyPI and NPM ecosystems.
- Ecosystems
- Attack vectors
- Threat actor
- Affected entities
- adultraPyPI package containing malicious code
The adultra package on PyPI was identified as containing malicious code. This package was part of a large-scale coordinated campaign by the EsqueleSquad group, which published nearly 6000 malicious packages across both PyPI and NPM ecosystems.
The malicious code in adultra was designed to execute spyware and information-stealing malware on affected systems. The incident was documented and tracked by the OpenSSF (Open Source Security Foundation) in their malicious-packages repository.
This represents a significant supply chain attack affecting the Python ecosystem, with the potential for widespread impact across any systems that installed the compromised package.
Indicators of compromise
- Packages
- adultra
Remediation
- Immediately uninstall the adultra package from all systems
- Audit systems that previously installed adultra for signs of compromise, including unauthorized access, data exfiltration, or persistence mechanisms
- Review and revoke any credentials or sensitive information that may have been exposed
- Monitor affected systems for suspicious network activity or process execution
- Update dependency management tools to block or flag this package
- Check for other malicious packages from the EsqueleSquad campaign and remove them
Sources
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-pjx2-hp38-3cv7 · GitHub Advisory Database
Cite this entry
"Malicious code in adultra (PyPI)." supplychainattack.org, Supply Chain Attack Incident Catalog. Disclosed July 21, 2026; last updated July 21, 2026. https://supplychainattack.org/incident/malicious-code-in-adultra-pypi-uhc3hb
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