---
id: "MAL-2026-18328"
kind: "package"
aliases: ["MAL-2026-18328"]
title: "Malicious code in netweavex (PyPI)"
severity: "critical"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: [{"name": "netweavex", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 1.1.0; = 1.1.1; = 1.1.2", "ecosystem": "pypi"}]
ecosystems: ["pypi"]
tags: ["malicious", "package"]
not_affected_if: []
published_at: "2026-10-26T09:58:20+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-26T20:52:03+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-26T21:05:48+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "osv-malicious", "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-18328", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-26T20:52:03+00:00"}]
---

# Malicious code in netweavex (PyPI)

## Affected

- pypi:netweavex affected = 1.1.0; = 1.1.1; = 1.1.2 fixed ?

## Timeline

- 2026-10-26T20:52:03+00:00 osv-malicious https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-18328

## From the sources

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

## Source: amazon-inspector (3818fe7f3387637c23d6bc51d62f8fd64dc981c82167750cd3059eec73d2849c)
netweavex is a typosquat of the popular NetworkX library, reusing its public API, module layout, and README examples (including the `import netweavex as nx` idiom) under a lookalike name. On `import netweavex`, the top-level __init__.py loads netweavex.netweavex, whose module scope invokes exec() on a payload produced by reversing a string literal, base64-decoding it, and zlib-decompressing it (the decoded header is a valid zlib stream, `x\xda...`). This causes attacker-controlled, opaque bytecode to run on the installer's host at import time. A graph library has no legitimate reason to layer reverse+base64+zlib obfuscation around an exec() sink; the combination of lookalike name, API cloning, and import-time execution of hidden code is the canonical PyPI typosquat dropper shape.

## Source: kam193 (96ae0ec579e95e33c63930792ee782e6229f77547efac35c3894a7e05c8af2ca)
Clone of a legitimated package. During import package executes obfuscated code that downloads code from a GitHub repository. During analysis, the code was just a placeholder.


---

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


Campaign: 2026-10-netweavex


Reasons (based on the campaign):


 - clones-real-package


 - obfuscation


 - Downloads and executes a remote malicious script.


 - typosquatting

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