{"id":"MAL-2026-17408","summary":"Malicious code in whalibmob (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: whalibmob (npm), version(s): 5.33.5, 5.33.4, 5.33.3, 5.33.2, 5.32.2, 5.32.1, 5.32.0, 5.30.0, 5.29.6, 5.29.5, 5.29.4, 5.29.3, 5.29.2, 5.29.1, 5.29.0, 5.28.0, 5.25.0, 5.24.2, 5.24.1, 5.24.0.","modified":"2026-09-30T10:32:25.951739837Z","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":"whalibmob","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/whalibmob"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["5.33.5","5.33.4","5.33.3","5.33.2","5.32.2","5.32.1","5.32.0","5.30.0","5.29.6","5.29.5","5.29.4","5.29.3","5.29.2","5.29.1","5.29.0","5.28.0","5.25.0","5.24.2","5.24.1","5.24.0"],"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/whalibmob/MAL-2026-17408.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.9.0","credits":[{"name":"OX Security","type":"FINDER"}]}