Malicious Python Packages Hijacking Open‑Source Repos: The Banana Squad Threat

ReversingLabs’ chief malware researcher Robert Simmons warns that a threat group known as “Banana Squad” has been active since April 2023, targeting over 60 GitHub repositories with large‑scale trojan attacks that embed Python‑based hacker toolkits.

The group creates malicious public repositories that mimic popular hacking tools, appearing legitimate while containing hidden backdoor logic. These repositories are discovered through reverse‑engineered threat‑intel URLs and exhibit characteristics such as domain squatting, repository impersonation, and the use of emojis suggesting AI involvement.

In total, 67 compromised repositories were found, each disguised as useful utilities (e.g., credential grabbers, vulnerability scanners). The malicious code is often hidden among long strings, whitespace, or off‑screen regions, making it difficult to spot without tools like Spectra Analyze’s preview feature.

Banana Squad has previously published hundreds of malicious packages for Windows, PyPI, and npm, stealing system details and cryptocurrency wallets. One package downloaded roughly 75,000 times before removal in April 2024.

Researchers note that many malicious repositories have a single repository listed under a fabricated GitHub account, indicating fake accounts created solely to host malicious code. Repository names often duplicate legitimate projects, and descriptions are filled with relevant keywords and fire or rocket emojis.

ReversingLabs provides a list of 67 indicators of compromise (IOCs) – domain URLs, filenames, and repository tags – to help developers verify the integrity of dependencies. Developers are urged to repeatedly audit repositories and compare them against known good versions to avoid supply‑chain attacks.