Skip to content
Heist/ feed
Unrated

Malicious code in mikuhostt-baileys (npm)

Type: advisorySource: OSV1 source record

This package is a fork of the Baileys WhatsApp Web library (npm) and belongs to the "PhantomSub" family described by OX Security in September 2026: the publisher injected code that, without the installer asking, uses the installer's own authenticated WhatsApp session to subscribe that account to WhatsApp Channels (newsletters) the publisher chose, by sending the WhatsApp `w:mex` FOLLOW query (query_id 7871414976211147) for each target channel JID. `package/lib/Defaults/index.js` lines 78-80 ship the defaults `autoFollowNewsletterOnConnect: true`, `autoFollowNewsletterDelayMs: 90000` and `autoFollowNewsletterJid: "120363400911374213@newsletter"` (a plain string literal, repeated as the fallback constant at `package/lib/Socket/newsletter.js` line 11). `package/lib/Socket/index.js` line 11 calls `triggerAutoFollow` (`newsletter.js` line 428) on every socket; 90 seconds after the connection opens, `runAutoFollow` (line 66) sends a raw `w:mex` IQ with `query_id: QueryIds.FOLLOW` (line 96) for that JID, retrying up to three times. The README lists "Auto-follow" only as a feature in a comparison table; it does not say that the library follows the publisher's channel by default. Line numbers refer to version 1.0.2; the same code is present in every published version listed under `affected`. Static review of the published tarball(s) found no code that sends WhatsApp credentials or session keys off-host, no install-time payload (the only install hook is Baileys' stock Node.js version c

Announced Source revision 1
Original source ↗

MAL-2026-17447

Primary source · Revision 1

Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.

Security context

Source reference: osv:MAL-2026-17447

mikuhostt-baileys

Source reference: /affected/0/package/name

Affected versions
1.0.0

Source reference: /affected/0/versions

1.0.1

Source reference: /affected/0/versions

1.0.2

Source reference: /affected/0/versions

Fixed versions
Not stated in this record
Prerequisites
Not stated in this record

Structured affected-version data

Original package identities and version rules from this source.

[
  {
    "ranges": [
      {
        "type": "SEMVER",
        "events": [
          {
            "introduced": "0"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "package": {
      "name": "mikuhostt-baileys",
      "purl": "pkg:npm/mikuhostt-baileys",
      "ecosystem": "npm"
    },
    "versions": [
      "1.0.0",
      "1.0.1",
      "1.0.2"
    ],
    "database_specific": {
      "source": "https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/mikuhostt-baileys/MAL-2026-17447.json"
    }
  }
]

Publisher severity

No explicit severity was provided.

Event
#67601 · Revision 1
Added to Heist Feed
Publisher date
Read the original announcement