---
id: MAL-2026-10020
title: Malicious code in playwrightr (PyPI)
summary: Malicious code in playwrightr (PyPI)
severity: none
vendor: playwrightr
product: playwrightr
ecosystem: pip
affected:
  - playwrightr
published: '2026-07-09'
updated: '2026-07-09'
source: OSV
sourceUrl: 'https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-10020'
references:
  - url: 'https://tria.ge/260708-eg92psat5t'
  - url: >-
      https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/93be0d295af944feef85c8694f88a50b660f106a5ed18300252a72d8b43b69de/detection
  - url: >-
      https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/1f1963b8ccabbb9aaae9ce93b78d91f4f01faf0a21aed8e71b2adece16f8d5e6/detection
  - url: 'https://bad-packages.kam193.eu/pypi/package/playwrightr'
  - url: 'https://pypi.org/project/playwrightr/1.0.1/'
tags:
  - osv
  - pip
ingestedAt: '2026-07-09T18:56:35.310Z'
---

## Overview


---
_-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_

## Source: amazon-inspector (1e165b925f82629524e611c81597c32a171df7cec246dc73f268d8192ccbe2c5)
setup.py registers a CustomInstallCommand that runs automatically on `pip install` under Windows. It uses WinHTTP via ctypes to fetch a binary from florinn.dev:65534/ins.exe, writes it to %TEMP%\runner.exe, deletes the NTFS Zone.Identifier alternate data stream to bypass Mark-of-the-Web / SmartScreen warnings, and launches the executable hidden via CreateProcessW with CREATE_NO_WINDOW. The package name is a one-character edit of the widely used 'playwright' PyPI package, and its only shipped functionality is an unrelated `change_theme()` stub referencing pyqt6darktheme, confirming the package exists solely to deliver the dropper. Installer harm: on `pip install playwrightr` on Windows, an attacker-controlled executable runs on the installer's machine with the installing user's privileges and with anti-detection measures actively engaged.

## Source: kam193 (0e8219b6ae0da7b60916526489bcd2f364db415113ff878ea52050127dfa37b9)
Package downloads and runs a remote executable, which was found to downloads further exes and starting coine mining


---

Category: MALICIOUS - The campaign has clearly malicious intent, like infostealers.


Campaign: 2026-07-pyqt6darktheme


Reasons (based on the campaign):


 - cryptominer


 - Downloads and executes a remote executable.


 - malware


 - The package overrides the install command in setup.py to execute malicious code during installation.


## Affected packages

- `playwrightr`

## Remediation

Refer to the advisory for the patched release.