Summary
transformers v5.4.0 was classified as CRITICAL RISK with a risk score of 4709. Sigil detected 372 findings across 2279 files, covering phases including install hooks, code patterns, network exfiltration, obfuscation, credential access. Review the findings below before installing this package.
v5.4.0
27 March 2026, 06:46 UTC
by Sigil Bot
Risk Score
4709
Findings
372
Files Scanned
2279
Provenance
Findings by Phase
Phase Ordering
Phases are ordered by criticality, with the most dangerous at the top. Click any phase header to expand or collapse its findings. Critical phases are expanded by default.
install-setup-py-cmdclass
CRITICALsetup.py overrides cmdclass — may execute code during install
transformers-5.4.0/setup.py:353
],
cmdclass={"deps_table_update": DepsTableUpdateCommand},
)Why was this flagged?
This package overrides Python's setup.py cmdclass, which allows arbitrary code to execute during pip install. This is the primary attack vector for malicious PyPI packages — attackers use it to steal credentials, install backdoors, or download additional payloads before the developer ever runs the code. Rated CRITICAL because it executes automatically with no user interaction required.
install-pip-setup-exec
CRITICALsetup.py executes code at install time
transformers-5.4.0/src/transformers/testing_utils.py:819
"""
Decorator marking a test that requires a multi-GPU CUDA setup (in PyTorch). These tests are skipped on a machine without
multiple CUDA GPUs.Why was this flagged?
This setup.py calls subprocess, os.system, exec, or eval during package installation. Legitimate packages rarely need to execute arbitrary commands at install time. This pattern is commonly used by malicious packages to download and run payloads, exfiltrate environment variables, or establish persistence. Rated CRITICAL because it runs with the installer's full permissions.
install-pip-setup-exec
CRITICALsetup.py executes code at install time
transformers-5.4.0/src/transformers/trainer.py:751
def create_accelerator_and_postprocess(self) -> None:
"""Create the accelerator and perform post-creation setup (FSDP, DeepSpeed, etc.)."""
# We explicitly don't rely on the `Accelerator` to do gradient accumulationWhy was this flagged?
This setup.py calls subprocess, os.system, exec, or eval during package installation. Legitimate packages rarely need to execute arbitrary commands at install time. This pattern is commonly used by malicious packages to download and run payloads, exfiltrate environment variables, or establish persistence. Rated CRITICAL because it runs with the installer's full permissions.
install-pip-setup-exec
CRITICALsetup.py executes code at install time
transformers-5.4.0/src/transformers/trainer.py:1389
# This might change the seed so needs to run first.
self._hp_search_setup(trial)
Why was this flagged?
This setup.py calls subprocess, os.system, exec, or eval during package installation. Legitimate packages rarely need to execute arbitrary commands at install time. This pattern is commonly used by malicious packages to download and run payloads, exfiltrate environment variables, or establish persistence. Rated CRITICAL because it runs with the installer's full permissions.
install-pip-setup-exec
CRITICALsetup.py executes code at install time
transformers-5.4.0/tests/test_executorch.py:31
class ExecutorchTest(unittest.TestCase):
def setUp(self):
set_seed(42)Why was this flagged?
This setup.py calls subprocess, os.system, exec, or eval during package installation. Legitimate packages rarely need to execute arbitrary commands at install time. This pattern is commonly used by malicious packages to download and run payloads, exfiltrate environment variables, or establish persistence. Rated CRITICAL because it runs with the installer's full permissions.
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