Backdoored elementary-data 0.23.3 Release Targeted Developer Secrets

Summary

A backdoored elementary-data 0.23.3 release and Docker image used a GitHub Actions script-injection flaw to distribute a secrets stealer. A clean 0.23.4 was released; users of affected versions were advised to rotate secrets and restore from safe backups.

Key points

The attacker published backdoored elementary-data 0.23.3 to PyPI and pushed a malicious Docker image.
A malicious pull-request comment exploited GitHub Actions script injection to expose GITHUB_TOKEN, forge a signed commit and tag, and trigger the release pipeline.
The elementary.pth backdoor ran at startup and targeted SSH keys, Git and cloud credentials, CI secrets, .env files, cryptocurrency wallets, and system data.
StepSecurity researchers attributed the release to a flaw in the project's workflow rather than a compromise of maintainers' accounts.
A community member reported the issue, and maintainers released a clean 0.23.4.
Users who installed 0.23.3 or pulled the affected ghcr[.]io/elementary-data/elementary:0.23.3 or :latest images were advised to rotate secrets and restore from known-safe backups.

Article Details

Victim Organization: elementary-data project
Incident Type: Software supply-chain compromise involving a malicious package release and Docker image
Data Types Exposed: SSH keys
Git credentials
Cloud credentials
Kubernetes, Docker, and CI secrets
.env files
Developer tokens
Cryptocurrency wallet files
System data, including /etc/passwd, logs, and shell history
Affected Records: Unknown
Affected Data Size: Unknown
Operational Impact: The malicious elementary-data 0.23.3 release and corresponding Docker image could compromise systems that installed the package or pulled the affected image. The backdoor was designed to steal secrets and system data. The clean 0.23.4 release replaced the malicious package, but affected users were advised to rotate secrets and restore from known-safe backups. The article does not confirm how much data was actually exfiltrated.
Ransom Or Extortion: None reported
Claim Status: confirmed

MITRE ATT&CK

T1195.002 · Compromise Software Supply ChainThe attacker published a backdoored software package and Docker image through the project's release pipeline.

People

crisperikA community member who spotted the malicious upload and opened an issue to alert the maintainer.

Products

dbtThe elementary-data package is an open-source data observability tool for dbt, primarily used by data/analytics engineers working with data pipelines.DockerAn attacker published a backdoored release of the popular elementary-data package (v0.23.3) to PyPI and pushed a malicious Docker image, stealing developer secrets and cryptocurrency wallets.elementary-dataAn attacker published a backdoored release of the popular elementary-data package (v0.23.3) to PyPI and pushed a malicious Docker image, stealing developer secrets and cryptocurrency wallets.GitHub ActionsThe compromise exploited a GitHub Actions script-injection that exposed GITHUB_TOKEN to forge a signed release; a clean 0.23.4 was published but users who installed 0.23.3 remain at risk.GitHub Container RegistryThe pipeline built and published the backdoored package to PyPI as well as a malicious image to GitHub Container Registry, making it appear as an official release.PyPIAn attacker published a backdoored release of the popular elementary-data package (v0.23.3) to PyPI and pushed a malicious Docker image, stealing developer secrets and cryptocurrency wallets.