{"id":"MAL-2026-17361","summary":"Malicious code in @kanaraa/baileys (npm)","details":"This package is part of a large family (100+ identified as of September 2026) of near-identical\nforks of the Baileys WhatsApp Web library that inject a covert channel-subscription action into\nthe WhatsApp socket layer. On connect, the injected code issues an authenticated `w:mex` FOLLOW\nquery (query_id 7871414976211147) against one or more attacker-chosen WhatsApp Channel/Newsletter\nJIDs, using the installer's own authenticated WhatsApp session -- silently subscribing the\nvictim's account to channels it never asked to join.\n\nThe target JID(s) are hidden from casual source review via one of several obfuscation techniques\nobserved across the family: a plain string literal, base64 encoding, base64+XOR, or a char-code\narray reconstructed at runtime. Some variants instead fetch a mutable, attacker-controlled remote\nJSON/JS list of target JIDs from GitHub or another host at runtime, letting the target list change\nafter installation without a new npm publish. Every sample in the family shares the same underlying\nmechanism (a wrapped/patched socket-connect routine that fires the FOLLOW query some seconds after\nconnect), even though the package name, JID value(s), and obfuscation/delivery method differ per\nfork.\n\nThe malicious action abuses the installer's own authenticated WhatsApp session to gain reach and\nsubscribers for attacker-controlled channels; it does not exfiltrate credentials, establish\npersistence, or execute arbitrary remote code.\n\nAffected package: @kanaraa/baileys (npm), version(s): 3.5.2, 3.5.1, 3.4.7, 3.4.6, 3.4.5, 3.4.4, 3.4.2, 3.5.0, 3.4.1, 3.4.0, 3.3.0, 3.2.0, 3.1.9, 3.1.8.","modified":"2026-09-30T10:32:21.672112537Z","published":"2026-09-30T09:57:36Z","references":[{"type":"ARTICLE","url":"https://www.ox.security/blog/phantomsub-malicious-npm-campaign-secretly-adds-users-to-whatsapp-spam-channels/"}],"affected":[{"package":{"name":"@kanaraa/baileys","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/%40kanaraa/baileys"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["3.5.2","3.5.1","3.4.7","3.4.6","3.4.5","3.4.4","3.4.2","3.5.0","3.4.1","3.4.0","3.3.0","3.2.0","3.1.9","3.1.8"],"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/@kanaraa/baileys/MAL-2026-17361.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.9.0","credits":[{"name":"OX Security","type":"FINDER"}]}