python-utils
This report shows the evidence for python-utils@0.2.26, the only known version.
OpenSSF/OSV Malicious Advisory
imported 4mo ago · by OpenSSF/OSVOpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-4652 confirms this npm version as malicious.
Advisory
MAL-2026-4652
Source
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV
Summary
Malicious code in python-utils (npm)
Details
package.json declares "preinstall": "./dist/typecheck.js". The referenced file is not JavaScript — it is a 5,224,556-byte Linux x86 ELF executable (containing `__libc_start_main`, `/lib64`, and `nux-x86-` interpreter strings) with the literal endpoint `207.90.194.2:443` baked into it. The native binary is concealed behind forged TypeScript build metadata: a sibling `dist/typecheck.d.ts` declares a `getParser(): Promise<Parser>` API for tree-sitter Python, and `dist/typecheck.js.map` is a reused copy of `parser.js.map` (its `"file"` field is `"parser.js"`), making the dropper look like ordinary tsdown output to a casual reviewer. On `npm install` on any Linux x86 host, the ELF runs automatically as the installer's user, calling out to the hardcoded IP:port. The package's stated purpose (a Python utility / tree-sitter parser wrapper) has no legitimate need to ship or execute a native binary at install time, and no pure-JS code path actually consumes `getParser`.
References
Source & flagged code
0 flagged · loading sourceNo flagged code excerpts are attached to this scan.
Findings
1 High
HighOsv Malicious Advisory
Affected versions and remediation
This report applies to python-utils@0.2.26.
The versions list below shows the verdict for each recorded version.
- Avoid installing python-utils@0.2.26. Remove it from direct dependencies and check your lockfile for transitive copies.
- Choose an independently verified alternative or release. This report does not establish that other versions are safe.
- If this version ran, investigate the affected machine and build environment. Rotate credentials it could access and rebuild from a trusted environment.
Evidence last updated: .
Source advisory published: .
This report uses published external intelligence. The advisory does not provide a separate source-code analysis for each listed version.
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