{"id":2929,"date":"2026-05-06T13:05:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T13:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ibvl.in\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/oceanlotus-suspected-of-using-pypi-to-deliver-zichatbot-malware\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T13:05:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T13:05:27","slug":"oceanlotus-suspected-of-using-pypi-to-deliver-zichatbot-malware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ibvl.in\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/oceanlotus-suspected-of-using-pypi-to-deliver-zichatbot-malware\/","title":{"rendered":"OceanLotus suspected of using PyPI to deliver ZiChatBot malware"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Introduction<\/h2>\n

Through our daily threat hunting, we noticed<\/a> that, beginning in July 2025, a series of malicious wheel<\/a> packages were uploaded to PyPI (the Python Package Index). We shared this information with the public security community, and the malware was removed from the repository. We submitted the samples to Kaspersky Threat Attribution Engine (KTAE)<\/a> for analysis. Based on the results, we believe the packages may be linked to malware discussed in a Threat Intelligence<\/a> report on OceanLotus. <\/p>\n

While these wheel packages do implement the features described on their PyPI web pages, their true purpose is to covertly deliver malicious files. These files can be either .DLL or .SO (Linux shared library), indicating the packages\u2019 ability to target both Windows and Linux platforms. They function as droppers, delivering the final payload \u2013 a previously unknown malware family that we have named ZiChatBot<\/code>. Unlike traditional malware, ZiChatBot does not communicate with a dedicated command and control (C2) server, but instead uses a series of REST APIs from the public team chat app Zulip as its C2 infrastructure.<\/p>\n

To conceal the malicious package containing ZiChatBot, the attacker created another benign-looking package that included the malicious package as a dependency. Based on these facts, we confirm that this campaign is a carefully planned and executed PyPI supply chain attack.<\/p>\n

Technical details<\/h2>\n

Spreading<\/h3>\n

The attacker created three projects on PyPI and uploaded malicious wheel packages designed to imitate popular libraries, tricking users into downloading them. This is a clear example of a supply chain attack via PyPI. See below for detailed information about the fake libraries and their corresponding wheel packages.<\/p>\n

Malicious wheel packages<\/h4>\n

The packages added by the attacker and listed on PyPI\u2019s download pages are:<\/p>\n