Malicious Code Injection in lium-4-96: A Typosquatting Threat
Summary
MAL-2026-54: Malicious code in lium-4-96 (PyPI). Affects lium-4-96 versions 0.0.3. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
lium-4-96 is a package available on the Python Package Index (PyPI) that is designed to provide certain functionalities related to its legitimate counterpart. However, it has been identified as part of a malicious campaign that exploits typosquatting and dependency confusion techniques. This vulnerability poses significant risks as it can lead to the injection of harmful code into applications that mistakenly utilize this package.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability stems from a malicious campaign that targets users through a typosquatting technique, where a malicious package mimics a legitimate library. Although the malicious code was not present at the time of discovery, it is designed to be introduced in a future update. The malicious code downloads a harmful script that, in turn, retrieves an executable tailored to the system architecture, ensuring persistence by creating automatically started service entries. This executable is a Go-based infostealer and backdoor linked to cybercrime activities attributed to North Korean actors.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
pip uninstall lium-4-96If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a workaround, you can implement a package verification process in your development workflow to ensure that only trusted packages are used. For example, you can use the following command to check for installed packages and their sources: pip list --format=columns.
Conclusion
The lium-4-96 package poses a significant security risk due to its association with a malicious campaign that employs typosquatting techniques. Users are advised to avoid this package, uninstall it if already installed, and utilize tools like Vulert to monitor for vulnerabilities in their applications.
See every vulnerability recorded for lium-4-96 →
FAQ
Typosquatting is a malicious practice where attackers create packages with names similar to legitimate ones, hoping users will mistype the name and install the malicious version.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check your application against known vulnerabilities using the Vulert playground without any signup.
If you have installed the lium-4-96 package, you should uninstall it immediately using the command: pip uninstall lium-4-96.
The risks include unauthorized access to sensitive data, system compromise, and the potential for further exploitation through backdoors and infostealers.
To prevent similar vulnerabilities, always verify package sources, use package management tools that check for vulnerabilities, and stay updated on security advisories.
