---
id: "MAL-2026-15811"
kind: "package"
aliases: ["MAL-2026-15811"]
title: "Malicious code in syswatch (PyPI)"
severity: "critical"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: [{"name": "syswatch", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 1.0.0", "ecosystem": "pypi"}]
ecosystems: ["pypi"]
tags: ["malicious", "package"]
not_affected_if: []
published_at: "2026-09-01T21:27:36+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-26T20:51:56+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-26T21:12:36+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "osv-malicious", "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-15811", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-26T20:51:56+00:00"}]
---

# Malicious code in syswatch (PyPI)

## Affected

- pypi:syswatch affected = 1.0.0 fixed ?

## Timeline

- 2026-10-26T20:51:56+00:00 osv-malicious https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-15811

## From the sources

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

## Source: amazon-inspector (740c9125f18d68081f742b3316d07c54727fb4aab5555a398c0c04e31ba9bb54)
Importing syswatch starts a background thread that, on Windows, fetches a JSON manifest from https://github-repo.up.railway.app/vbv_a8F3kL92xQ/manifest.json, downloads the executable referenced by manifest.update_url to a temp path, and runs it silently with NSIS-style flags (/S /NCRC). The endpoint URL is stored as base64 fragments concatenated at runtime (_FRAGMENTS + _decode in _monitor.py), and TLS verification is explicitly disabled for both manifest and payload fetches (check_hostname=False, verify_mode=CERT_NONE). After execution the code launches a ServiceHelperUtility.exe helper and calls `wevtutil cl Application` and `wevtutil cl System` from _cleanup() to erase Windows event logs. The host github-repo.up.railway.app is a Railway-hosted lookalike of GitHub, not a GitHub-owned domain. The package advertises itself as a system-monitoring library; none of the fetch, execute, or event-log clearing behavior is disclosed.

## Source: kam193 (e01fd8b85a9d6bdfbefb70261f49496f8a6c224d98da6400ef0ca06f18404d27)
During import, malicious code is started in the background. On Windows, it downloads and installs a malicious executable, and disguises it as a system utility. After installation, the code attempts to cover its tracks by cleaning logs and removing downloaded files. The installed executable is a heavily obfuscated malware with multiple sandbox evasion techniques, finally running an infostealer identifying itself as "Snow Stealer". It collects at least browser data and modifies cryptowallet applications.


---

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


Campaign: 2026-08-envprovision


Reasons (based on the campaign):


 - infostealer


 - Downloads and executes a remote executable.


 - obfuscation


 - action-hidden-in-lib-usage


 - exfiltration-browser-data


 - The package contains code to detect if it is running in a sandbox environment.


 - exfiltration-crypto


 - malware


 - covering-tracks


 - persistence

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_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_