CRITICAL npm Malware

Malicious code in @vanzxy/baileys (npm)

MAL-2026-18529 · GHSA-p29j-8jqp-jx9c

Published · Modified

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Description

@vanzxy/baileys is a fork of the Baileys WhatsApp Web library that silently subscribes the installer's own authenticated WhatsApp account to an author-chosen WhatsApp Channel. Part of the campaign OX Security documented as "PhantomSub" (2026-09-28): https://www.ox.security/blog/phantomsub-malicious-npm-campaign-secretly-adds-users-to-whatsapp-spam-channels/ . Static read of the published 2.0.4 tarball on 2026-10-16 (not executed) found a hardcoded channel JID 120363400911374213@newsletter together with the newsletter FOLLOW query wired to run automatically after the socket connects, with errors suppressed. Same family as the withdrawn MAL-2026-4519 (chromestaff-baileys 1.1.3). Live on npm with no OSV record as of 2026-10-16.


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Source: ghsa-malware (8aaf0ab3d240dca86b7e0bb0385dfb39a4aad4f3a0a44e21fb77b5b14e580862)

Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.

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