---
id: "MAL-2026-17702"
kind: "package"
aliases: ["MAL-2026-17702"]
title: "Malicious code in kafka-helmsman (PyPI)"
severity: "critical"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: [{"name": "kafka-helmsman", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 99.0.1; = 99.0.2; = 99.0.3; = 99.0.4; = 99.0.5; = 99.0.6", "ecosystem": "pypi"}]
ecosystems: ["pypi"]
tags: ["malicious", "package"]
not_affected_if: []
published_at: "2026-10-08T21:15:56+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-26T20:51:59+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-26T21:08:21+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "osv-malicious", "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-17702", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-26T20:51:59+00:00"}]
---

# Malicious code in kafka-helmsman (PyPI)

## Affected

- pypi:kafka-helmsman affected = 99.0.1; = 99.0.2; = 99.0.3; = 99.0.4; = 99.0.5; = 99.0.6 fixed ?

## Timeline

- 2026-10-26T20:51:59+00:00 osv-malicious https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-17702

## From the sources

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

## Source: amazon-inspector (75536e8621da28a0e941bd4a607da879a64ab71214e908992bf14840ed9a20b2)
The sdist for kafka-helmsman 99.0.5 is a dependency-confusion placeholder targeting the internal Tesla project name github.com/teslamotors/kafka-helmsman. setup.py contains no build logic; its top-level code starts a daemon thread that collects hostname, current working directory, os.uname output, a timestamp, and a UUID, then POSTs the JSON body to https://webhook.site/bf5cb178-e0cf-43b6-8b1e-fb5d2f6ea9c9 and additionally transmits the same payload to the OAST host jw1yrpkm5xpav.httpcollaborator.com both over HTTPS and via DNS lookups (nslookup/getent/dig) with a base64-url path. Because setup.py executes during pip metadata and wheel build, the beacon fires on any default `pip install kafka-helmsman` and on any resolver that evaluates the sdist. The package declares packages=[] and py_modules=[] and ships no functional kafka tooling, so an installer that mis-resolved the public name instead of the internal one receives only the exfiltration payload. README framing of the artifact as Bugcrowd/Tesla research does not change the behavior: installer-identifying data is sent to hardcoded third-party endpoints controlled by the author.

## Source: kam193 (edc880a17d2b3a9eaeadd0a074e6debc3f507d7afbd4ac8f5c4928209fadbcde)
Installing the package or importing the module exfiltrates basic information about the host, and the package has no other purpose.


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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: GENERIC-standard-pypi-install-pentest


Reasons (based on the campaign):


 - The package contains code to exfiltrate basic data from the system, like IP or username. It has a limited risk.


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

## Source: ossf-package-analysis (a2d266a2b4e9df8f2466cfb34e58fe98c636cb75d4ad1ec08cee919bd9a86588)
The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'kafka-helmsman' @ 99.0.1 (pypi) as malicious.

It is considered malicious because:

- The package communicates with a domain associated with malicious activity.

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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_