connectedmerchantsservnpm
Malicious code in connectedmerchantsserv (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
What this malware does
The package's scripts.install lifecycle hook runs node index.js, which loads lib/core.js. That module collects the installer's OS username, hostname, and current working directory basename, then encodes those values as subdomain labels of oob.sl4x0.xyz prefixed with paypal2 and issues dns.resolve4 queries against the resulting hostname, leaking the data out-of-band to the attacker's authoritative DNS server. The Node API names (os, dns, userInfo, username, hostname, cwd) and the destination domain are hidden as char-code numeric arrays reconstructed via String.fromCharCode in lib/b02e30.js and lib/6ad264.js to evade static inspection. The package is presented as generic 'enterprise utilities' but ships no functionality matching that description.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Malicious packageFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for connectedmerchantsserv (version 9.9.11). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging connectedmerchantsserv across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
Remove connectedmerchantsserv from your project and lockfile, then assume any secrets accessible to the build or runtime were exposed: rotate API keys, tokens, and credentials, and audit for unexpected outbound activity or persistence.
Did it already run?
If connectedmerchantsserv 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 connectedmerchantsserv 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 connectedmerchantsserv-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the malicious outbound activity and severs the channel.