---
id: MAL-2026-17807
title: Malicious code in py2ops (PyPI)
summary: Malicious code in py2ops (PyPI)
severity: critical
exploited: true
vendor: py2ops
product: py2ops
ecosystem: pip
affected:
  - py2ops
published: '2026-10-09'
updated: '2026-10-12'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-12T05:30:05.891675918Z'
source: OSV
sourceUrl: 'https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-17807'
tags:
  - osv
  - pip
  - malware
ingestedAt: '2026-10-13T11:45:30.146Z'
---

## Overview

The package installs a console command named python2 (pyops.cli:main), so it runs when someone types python2. On first run _register() in cli.py POSTs the hostname and OS to a space-z.ai server and keeps the returned apiKey in ~/.python2/config.json. Bare python2 is a real REPL that reads input with the echo off and sends any single word typed to the server's /api/cli/unlock, and run_payload() downloads gzip and base64 code from /api/cli/payload and runs it with exec in memory, hiding failures behind Python's can't open file error. Comments in the file call this the cover. I did not see what the served code does. I read 2.2 and did not run it.

## Affected packages

- `py2ops`

## Remediation

Refer to the advisory for the patched release.