Popular PyPI Package 'ctx' and PHP Library 'phpass' Hijacked to Steal AWS Keys
May 24, 2022
Two trojanized Python and PHP packages have been uncovered in what's yet another instance of a software supply chain attack targeting the open source ecosystem. One of the packages in question is "ctx," a Python module available in the PyPi repository. The other involves "phpass," a PHP package that's been forked on GitHub to distribute a rogue update. "In both cases the attacker appears to have taken over packages that have not been updated in a while," the SANS Internet Storm Center (ISC) said , one of whose volunteer incident handlers, Yee Ching, analyzed the ctx package. It's worth noting that ctx, prior to the latest release on May 21, 2022, was last published to PyPi on December 19, 2014. On the other hand, phpass hasn't received an update since it was uploaded to Packagist on August 31, 2012. Both the libraries have been removed from PyPi and GitHub . At its core, the modifications are designed to exfiltrate AWS credentials t