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Malicious package

atomic-notesnpm

Malicious code in atomic-notes (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

MAL-2026-4486
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall atomic-notes

What this malware does

package.json declares preinstall:./.github/scripts/precheck, which executes a 976 KB stripped, UPX-packed Linux x86_64 ELF shipped at .github/scripts/precheck on every npm install. The binary is opaque (packed + stripped, UPX marker http://upx.sf.net present) and contains kernel/syscall surface (LIBBPF, PTRACE, NETLINK, NETLINK_DIAG), a TLS/HTTP client (HTTP/1.1, Ed25519, RSA_PKCS1_, POST), and references to USERPROFILE and https:// — capabilities entirely unrelated to the package's advertised purpose as a JavaScript Arweave/AO 'atomic-notes' library. The binary is hidden under .github/scripts/, a directory normally reserved for CI workflow YAML, not runtime code. Author and description fields in package.json are empty placeholders. There is no hash verification, no documentation, and no legitimate reason for a JS library to execute an opaque privileged Linux binary at install time.

This package was compromised as part of the IronWorm campaign. This campaign executes a malicious binary payload during installation via a preinstall hook. The payload is a Rust-built infostealer that targets developer environments, scanning for and harvesting credentials related to cloud providers, object storage, databases, source-control, package registries, and AI developer tools. It also targets cryptocurrency wallets, specifically injecting a malicious JavaScript hook into the Exodus desktop wallet to capture passwords and recovery phrases. Furthermore, the malware exhibits worm-like behavior by stealing GitHub and NPM credentials to push malicious updates to the victim's repositories and publish trojanized packages, and it uses an eBPF-based kernel rootkit to hide its processes and network connections on Linux systems.

Malicious versions

1 flagged
0.5.3

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

c70dcf4fd11ae58bf4e06b896b2f163d54e3c3a26b66d472bab1e0af126f6f81
146faaf0d97c6a533a969bc3f3f117811f9317dc865ed4ab37f1679842ddeaae

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer
  1. Find it

    Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for atomic-notes (version 0.5.3). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging atomic-notes across your stack and pipelines.

  2. If you installed it — respond

    atomic-notes is built to steal secrets, so assume every credential the build or runtime could read is compromised. Remove it from your project and lockfile, then rotate ALL exposed secrets — npm/registry tokens, cloud keys, CI/CD secrets, SSH keys, and any .env values — from a known-clean machine. Audit logs for unauthorized use of those credentials.

  3. Did it already run?

    If atomic-notes was ever installed, its post-install/runtime payload may have already executed. O3's L7 egress monitoring and runtime eBPF sensors detect the credential exfiltration or command-and-control callback after install and block the malicious outbound channel, so you catch and contain the actual compromise — not just the presence of the package.

  4. How O3 protects you

    O3 blocks atomic-notes before install through its supply-chain scanner, and if it has already run, detects and severs the exfiltration or C2 callback at runtime through L7 egress monitoring and eBPF.

Frequently asked questions

No. atomic-notes on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 0.5.3 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-004825

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks atomic-notes-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.

atomic-notes (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-4486 | O3 Security