A sophisticated malicious package campaign has emerged targeting Python and NPM users across Windows and Linux platforms through an unusual cross-ecosystem attack strategy.

The campaign exploits typo-squatting and name confusion tactics against popular packages including colorama, a widely-used Python library for terminal color control, and the similar colorizr JavaScript package on NPM.

The attack represents an escalation in open-source supply chain threats, combining multiple deception techniques to maximize its reach.

Threat actors uploaded numerous packages to PyPI with names closely mimicking legitimate libraries, creating a dangerous trap for developers who might mistype package names during installation.

What makes this campaign particularly noteworthy is its cross-ecosystem approach, where malicious PyPI packages deliberately mimic naming conventions from the NPM ecosystem, suggesting either coordinated confusion tactics or potential future expansion into JavaScript package repositories.

Checkmarx researchers identified this campaign as consistent with live adversarial activity and coordinated operations.

The researchers noted that the attack patterns indicate either targeted operations against specific organizations or sophisticated testing phases for broader deployment.

The malicious packages have since been removed from public repositories, but the campaign’s complexity raises concerns about similar future attacks.

The payloads demonstrate advanced capabilities across both Windows and Linux platforms, featuring persistent remote access mechanisms, sensitive data harvesting, and sophisticated evasion techniques.

Windows variants specifically attempt to bypass antivirus and endpoint protection controls, while Linux payloads establish encrypted backdoors with remote control capabilities.

Windows Payload Evasion and Persistence Mechanisms

The Windows variants showcase particularly sophisticated anti-detection behaviors designed to establish long-term footholds on infected systems.

The malware actively checks for installed security software and modifies its behavior accordingly to avoid detection.

Among the most concerning evasion tactics, the payload executes specific commands to disable Windows Defender protections:-

"C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe" -RemoveDefinitions -All
Set-MpPreference -DisableI0AVProtection $true

These commands systematically remove malware definitions and disable Internet file scanning, creating blind spots in the system’s security posture.

The malware also harvests environment variables from the Windows registry, potentially exposing sensitive credentials and configuration secrets stored in system variables.

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