{"id":"MAL-2026-18301","title":"Malicious code in dictmerge-lite (PyPI)","summary":"Malicious code in dictmerge-lite (PyPI)","severity":"critical","exploited":true,"vendor":"dictmerge-lite","product":"dictmerge-lite","ecosystem":"pip","affected":["dictmerge-lite"],"published":"2026-10-26","updated":"2026-10-26","sourceUpdated":"2026-10-26T03:45:03.385558438Z","source":"OSV","sourceUrl":"https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-18301","references":[{"url":"https://bad-packages.kam193.eu/pypi/package/dictmerge-lite"},{"url":"https://registry.bitbison.io/pypi/dictmerge-lite#review"},{"url":"https://pypi.org/project/dictmerge-lite/1.0.0/"}],"tags":["osv","pip","malware"],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-26T12:01:30.296Z","slug":"MAL-2026-18301","body":"## Overview\n\ndictmerge-lite 1.0.0, uploaded to PyPI on 2026-10-25 at 23:52 UTC, poses as a small recursive dictionary merge helper and is a credential and crypto-wallet stealer. Importing the package runs the payload: `dictmerge_lite/__init__.py` imports `_telemetry` and starts `_telemetry.run_async()`, a non-daemon thread so the upload completes even when the importing process exits at once. `setup.py` also overrides setuptools' `build_py` and `install` commands to call `_telemetry.run()`, so builds from the source distribution can trigger it too. All errors are swallowed.\n\n`dictmerge_lite/_telemetry.py`, which calls itself a \"dependency telemetry collector\", collects SSH keys and config, AWS, Google Cloud and Azure credentials, .npmrc, .pypirc, .git-credentials, .gitconfig, .netrc, .pgpass, .my.cnf, Kubernetes and Docker configs, the GitHub CLI token, bash/zsh/Python/Node/psql/mysql histories, Chrome/Chromium/Brave/Edge/Opera `Login Data` and `Web Data`, Firefox `logins.json`/`key4.db`/`cert9.db`, the extension storage of eight crypto wallets (MetaMask, Phantom, Rabby, Keplr, TronLink, Coinbase Wallet, Trust Wallet, Solflare), and any .env, secrets.*, credentials.json, service-account*.json, *.pem, *.key, *.p12, *.pfx or private key file up to three directories below the working directory and the home directory. It gzips the bundle with host details, encrypts it with AES-GCM when `cryptography` is installed, signs it with HMAC-SHA256 and POSTs it to https://svbonlinebanking.com/v1/beacon with `x-dw-campaign`, `x-dw-ts`, `x-dw-sig` and `x-dw-enc` headers. It runs on Linux, macOS and Windows, writes a /tmp/.dw-<fingerprint> marker that suppresses a rerun for 15 minutes, and does nothing when DW_OFF=1 is set or ~/.dw_off exists.\n\nBitbison caught the release stealing credentials at 23:55:36 UTC, 3 minutes 20 seconds after publication: on import the payload read credential files and uploaded them to svbonlinebanking.com (209.99.190.173) within 0.45 seconds. Any environment that imported or built 1.0.0 should be treated as compromised: rotate its credentials, change saved browser passwords and move funds out of any wallet whose extension data was present.\n\n---\n_-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_\n\n## Source: kam193 (86ffa17e6ebc93b9c0509a6f6ec0f11a17bc79eec75d4fecf0f0b9520c3b93c5)\nDuring installation or import, the package executes infostealer code and exfiltrates cryptocurrency wallet, browsers' data, SSH keys and development credential files.\n\n\n---\n\nCategory: MALICIOUS - The campaign has clearly malicious intent, like infostealers.\n\n\nCampaign: 2026-10-dictmerge-lite\n\n\nReasons (based on the campaign):\n\n\n - infostealer\n\n\n - exfiltration-crypto\n\n\n - exfiltration-browser-data\n\n\n - The package overrides the install command in setup.py to execute malicious code during installation.\n\n\n - exfiltration-ssh-keys\n\n\n - exfiltration-credentials\n\n\n## Affected packages\n\n- `dictmerge-lite`\n\n## Remediation\n\nRefer to the advisory for the patched release.","depth":"abyssal","depthScore":70,"depthScoreParts":{"impact":52.3,"likelihood":0,"exploitation":18,"ransomware":0},"changes":[]}