---
id: "MAL-2026-15828"
kind: "package"
aliases: ["MAL-2026-15828"]
title: "Malicious code in env-validator-tool (PyPI)"
severity: "critical"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: [{"name": "env-validator-tool", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 1.0.0; = 1.0.1; = 1.0.2", "ecosystem": "pypi"}]
ecosystems: ["pypi"]
tags: ["malicious", "package"]
not_affected_if: []
published_at: "2026-09-03T00:44:13+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-2026-15828", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-26T20:51:56+00:00"}]
---

# Malicious code in env-validator-tool (PyPI)

## Affected

- pypi:env-validator-tool affected = 1.0.0; = 1.0.1; = 1.0.2 fixed ?

## Timeline

- 2026-10-26T20:51:56+00:00 osv-malicious https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-15828

## From the sources

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

## Source: amazon-inspector (dd6cff735ec80019a9009add49ea47ae4b34ec0c29c1e287511d765c24300964)
The package ships no source module (only egg-info metadata) despite declaring a console_script entrypoint 'env-validator=env_validator.cli:main' that references a non-existent env_validator/ directory. Its setup.py install_requires declares 'telemetry-helper' — an unpinned, generically-named PyPI dependency — with an inline author comment reading 'Legitimate dependency with payload'. Because the package itself contains no code, the sole effect of `pip install env-validator-tool` is resolving and installing whatever code is published under the 'telemetry-helper' name, which then executes on the installer's machine during install. The self-labeled 'payload' comment combined with the missing implementation, unpinned generic dependency name, and stub entrypoint indicates the package is a lure whose only purpose is to pull in the sibling drop package.

## Source: kam193 (6154c04795237a4ea3c9a29df7ef65a739056eeb3f20a198890bab3eb416f9ff)
In this campaign, one package contains malicious code exfiltrating environment variables during import (telemetry-helper), and another one intentionally installs it as a dependency.


---

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


Campaign: 2026-09-telemetry-helper


Reasons (based on the campaign):


 - exfiltration-env-variables


 - The malicious code is intentionally included in a dependency of the package

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