{"id":"MAL-2026-18980","summary":"Malicious code in hunter-baileys (npm)","details":"hunter-baileys is a fork of the Baileys WhatsApp Web library that silently subscribes the installer's own WhatsApp account to WhatsApp Channels chosen by the publisher. When the socket connects, code in lib/Socket/newsletter.js sends the WhatsApp w:mex FOLLOW query for a list downloaded at runtime from https://files.giftedtech.co.ke/file/chJids.json (the URL itself stored as base64 strings), using the victim's authenticated session and without telling them. Same behaviour as the PhantomSub family (MAL-2026-17342).","modified":"2026-11-09T23:15:31.549414037Z","published":"2026-10-27T00:00:00Z","database_specific":{"iocs":{"files":[{"paths":["lib/Socket/newsletter.js"],"digests":{"sha256":"1508b7661ece1baa15c8b20280de4ae8b49ccaa4a5fd42d341bd700e97856cf8"}}],"ips":[],"urls":["https://files.giftedtech.co.ke/file/chJids.json"],"domains":["files.giftedtech.co.ke"]}},"references":[{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://www.npmjs.com/package/hunter-baileys"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://www.ox.security/blog/phantomsub-malicious-npm-campaign-secretly-adds-users-to-whatsapp-spam-channels/"}],"affected":[{"package":{"name":"hunter-baileys","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/hunter-baileys"},"versions":["2.1.1"],"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/hunter-baileys/MAL-2026-18980.json","cwes":[{"cweId":"CWE-506","description":"The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.","name":"Embedded Malicious Code"}]}}],"schema_version":"1.9.2","credits":[{"name":"CyberXYZ","contact":["https://cyberxyz.io"],"type":"FINDER"}]}