{"answers":{"affected":"1 open source package ship an affected version, including aonote.","exploited":"There is no known exploitation of MAL-2026-4480 in the wild and no public exploit code.","fix":"Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.","what":"MAL-2026-4480 is a malicious package in aonote, published on 26 May 2026."},"fix_prompt":"MAL-2026-4480 is a malicious package: aonote (npm). Every version was published to cause harm.\n\nTask:\n1. Search this repository's dependency manifests and lockfiles for the package, including transitive dependencies.\n2. If it is present, remove it, regenerate the lockfile with the project's package manager, and replace whatever it was used for.\n3. List any CI runners, developer machines or containers that installed it, so their secrets can be rotated.\n4. If the package is not used anywhere, say so and change nothing.\n\nReference: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-4480/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-4480/index.md)","id":"MAL-2026-4480","markdown":"https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-4480/index.md","name":"MAL-2026-4480","record":{"aliases":[],"analysis":null,"analysis_generated_by":null,"assigner":null,"cpe":[],"cvss":{"score":null,"severity":null,"source":null,"vector":null,"version":null},"cwes":[],"description":"package.json declares `\"preinstall\": \"./scripts/postbuild\"`, where `scripts/postbuild` is a 976KB UPX-packed Linux x86-64 ELF (sha256 36abd242...) shipped in the tarball with no source, no documentation, and no relation to the package's stated purpose (a JavaScript Arweave/AO note SDK). The binary executes unconditionally on every `npm install` on Linux. Strings inside the binary include kernel/loader paths (`/lib64`, `nux-x86-`), UPX self-tag (`http://upx.sf.net`), eBPF and ptrace symbols (`LIBBPF_0.0`, `_PTRACE`), cryptographic primitives (`RSA_PKCS1_`, `Ed25519`, `MLKEM`), HTTP client strings (`HTTP/1.1`), and host-identity references (`USERPROFILE`, `BY_FAMILY`). Package metadata is hollow (`description: \"\"`, `author: \"\"`), consistent with a hijack of a previously-legitimate name or an attacker-published lure. A JS SDK has no legitimate need to execute an opaque packed native binary at install time; the UPX packing additionally hides the payload from static review. Any developer or CI pipeline running `npm install aonote` on Linux executes attacker-controlled native code with the invoking user's privileges.\n\nThis 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.","ecosystems":["npm"],"exploits":{"exploitdb":null,"first_seen":null,"github_poc":null,"max_poc_stars":null,"metasploit":null,"nuclei":null,"refs":[],"tier":null},"has_fix":false,"headline":"Malicious code in aonote (npm)","id":"MAL-2026-4480","indexable":true,"kev":null,"kind":"malicious","links":{"ecosystem":"npm","product":null,"products":[],"type":null,"year":"2026"},"n_packages":1,"n_references":null,"packages":[{"ecosystem":"npm","fixed":[],"introduced":[],"last_affected":[],"package":"aonote","purl":"pkg:npm/aonote","source":"MAL-2026-4480"}],"products":null,"published":"2026-05-26","related":[],"sources":[{"class":"attribution","licence":"Apache-2.0","name":"OpenSSF Malicious Packages","prefix":"MAL"}],"ssvc":{"automatable":null,"exploitation":null,"technical_impact":null},"state":null,"updated":null,"vendors":null},"summary":null,"url":"https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-4480/"}