atomic-notesnpm
Malicious code in atomic-notes (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
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
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind 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.
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.
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.
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
Campaign
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.