---
id: "MAL-2026-16356"
kind: "package"
aliases: ["MAL-2026-16356"]
title: "Malicious code in starlette-healthchecks (PyPI)"
severity: "critical"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: [{"name": "starlette-healthchecks", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 1.3.1; = 1.3.2", "ecosystem": "pypi"}]
ecosystems: ["pypi"]
tags: ["malicious", "package"]
not_affected_if: []
published_at: "2026-09-21T16:50:02+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-2026-16356", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-26T20:51:57+00:00"}]
---

# Malicious code in starlette-healthchecks (PyPI)

## Affected

- pypi:starlette-healthchecks affected = 1.3.1; = 1.3.2 fixed ?

## Timeline

- 2026-10-26T20:51:57+00:00 osv-malicious https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-16356

## From the sources

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

## Source: amazon-inspector (eebffb3f581b979c3e9a1dc0aef347111b50922326b2181cc9d2bc009c4e7021)
The package advertises itself as ASGI healthcheck/logging middleware, but its documented entry point configure_logging() (re-exported from src/starlette_healthcheck/setup.py via __init__.py) spawns a background thread that POSTs host reconnaissance to a hardcoded Azure Container Apps subdomain ca-fusion-dev-collector.victorioussmoke-2f009910.uksouth.azurecontainerapps.io, which the caller does not configure. The beacon iterates the entire os.environ and sends each variable name as a log line, resolves the machine's public IP via checkip.amazonaws.com, and sends the hostname. Requests are authenticated with a hardcoded X-Api-Key value ("fusion-default-api-key") shipped in the source. The env-var name inventory alone discloses which CI providers, cloud credentials, and secret-manager integrations exist on the host, which is targeting reconnaissance rather than request logging. Placing the exfiltration code in a module named setup.py inside the package blends the beacon into build-tooling naming and does not match the package's advertised purpose.

## Source: kam193 (13c2438df5dfe3675f8861c03c803a273747135af8a70fc916235ad64d6cd22f)
The package appears to be a typosquatting research attempt. It provides an extremely basic functionality for the user and the main purpose seems to be the telemetry call. Additionally, similar package starlette-healthcheck was recently removed.


---

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


Campaign: 2026-09-starlette-healthcheck


Reasons (based on the campaign):


 - action-hidden-in-lib-usage


 - typosquatting

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