Malicious code in py-2equests (PyPI)

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Source: amazon-inspector (9bd7b93cf88d0fbcca30c50d9c9de6e14134cd2890be5a7a785e9330e98a988c)

py-2equests is a typosquat of the popular 'requests' package (substituting '2' for 'r'). On import py_2equests, the top-level module body iterates os.environ and collects all variables whose keys start with SECRET, API, TOKEN, or KEY, then opens a TCP socket to a host/port taken from the TS_HOST/TS_PORT environment variables (defaulting to 127.0.0.1:9999 but overridable to any remote destination) and sends the collected secrets over it. The same import path then spawns a python subprocess that connects back to the same TS_HOST:TS_PORT, sends the literal 'SHELL', and holds the socket open as a reverse-shell channel, described in an author comment as a 'reverse shell hook'. A code comment reads 'Exfiltrate env vars and open reverse shell on install' and the CLI prints 'py_2equests installed -- targeting requests', self-documenting the intent. Any process that imports the package leaks credential-shaped environment variables and grants remote shell access to whoever controls the configured destination.

Source: kam193 (e77ec1203f9d490621144227c797d33bf3271c674bcc248fbaf16aaeca9bd106)

During import, the code exfiltrates potentially sensitive env variables. In all analyzed versions the exfiltration target was a localhost, suggesting it was just a test.

Category: PROBABLY_PENTEST - Packages looking like typical pentest packages, but also anything that looks like testing, exploring pre-prepared kits, research & co, with clearly low-harm possibilities.

Campaign: 2026-09-0requests

Reasons (based on the campaign):

• exfiltration-env-variables

• typosquatting