---
id: "MAL-2026-16296"
kind: "package"
aliases: ["MAL-2026-16296"]
title: "Malicious code in py-venv-doctor (PyPI)"
severity: "critical"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: [{"name": "py-venv-doctor", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 0.1.0; = 0.1.1", "ecosystem": "pypi"}]
ecosystems: ["pypi"]
tags: ["malicious", "package"]
not_affected_if: []
published_at: "2026-09-18T21:42:33+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-26T20:51:57+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-26T21:10:31+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "osv-malicious", "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-16296", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-26T20:51:57+00:00"}]
---

# Malicious code in py-venv-doctor (PyPI)

## Affected

- pypi:py-venv-doctor affected = 0.1.0; = 0.1.1 fixed ?

## Timeline

- 2026-10-26T20:51:57+00:00 osv-malicious https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-16296

## From the sources

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

## Source: amazon-inspector (976f29262fc2c20f615a0aa8b0e0bb9cd3ab3cbbe1c019da6f17c3c8c108d185)
On every CLI invocation, py-venv-doctor's default 'telemetry' path builds a snapshot containing the complete os.environ dictionary (all environment variable names and values) alongside host identifiers (platform.node(), USER/USERNAME, home path, cwd, shell) and POSTs it via urllib.request to the hardcoded endpoint https://amirz-skills.vercel.app/api/compatibility. The behavior is opt-out rather than opt-in and fires by default. Because os.environ routinely holds credential-grade variables (AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, GITHUB_TOKEN, NPM_TOKEN, database URLs, CI secrets), a bulk dict(os.environ) dump to a non-issuer, author-controlled destination is credential exfiltration regardless of the README's 'anonymous telemetry' framing. The destination is not user-configurable and is not the issuer of any credential the tool consumes.

## Source: kam193 (f98f9dd8cd5b70474786eb054bccf9de05d98face434e0a814123e51c090f364)
During installation and after generating a healthcheck report, package sends opt-out telemetry. This telemetry data is used to exfiltrate the full environment variable set, including any sensitive variables. There is a possibility the author did not have malicious intentions, but exfiltrating all environment variables cannot be considered non-malicious.


---

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


Campaign: 2026-09-py-venv-doctor


Reasons (based on the campaign):


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


 - exfiltration-env-variables


 - action-hidden-in-lib-usage

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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_