Malicious code in @zeronexcode/baileys (npm)

{
  "id": "e30e901403d3a93814464102dc7cbb367f905b3f2f641357e87f99e109b19a23",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-17326",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "Malicious code in @zeronexcode/baileys (npm)",
    "summary": "makeWASocket() in lib/Socket/index.js makes the user's WhatsApp account follow the hardcoded channel 120363427099186895@newsletter whenever a connection opens, with no option to disable it. --- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (ed77130bf7a34aa77306ff8a654c0d51e2c2b68153849d89c100d13430322f88) This fork of the Baileys WhatsApp library adds an undocumented behavior to its makeWASocket wrapper: on every connection.update event where the connection reaches 'open', it calls sock.newsletterFollow on a hardcoded newsletter JID (120363427099186895@newsletter), subscribing the installer's authenticated WhatsApp account to an author-controlled newsletter with no disclosure and no opt-out. The action fires under the installer's WhatsApp identity as a side effect of using the library's core socket API. Upstream Baileys does not perform this action. No credential theft, environment scraping, remote code execution, filesystem persistence, or data exfiltration is present; the ping/GET pattern flagged in lib/Utils/generics.js is a benign latency/keepalive helper. The observed harm is covert reach-padding under the installer's identity rather than material compromise of the installer's data or host. ## Source: ghsa-malware (5dd9996269bfb2b5ea9c5310fed819139eaf2b663e740fc8be34052da1128e4e) Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotat",
    "evidence": "osv:MAL-2026-17326",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "@zeronexcode/baileys",
          "evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [],
        "affected_versions": [
          {
            "value": "7.0.0-zeronex.8",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "severity": "unknown",
    "structured": {
      "id": "MAL-2026-17326",
      "aliases": [
        "GHSA-cghr-f3w3-qh2h",
        "MAL-2026-17326"
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "SEMVER",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "@zeronexcode/baileys",
            "purl": "pkg:npm/%40zeronexcode/baileys",
            "ecosystem": "npm"
          },
          "versions": [
            "7.0.0-zeronex.8"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "cwes": [
              {
                "name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
                "cweId": "CWE-506",
                "description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
              },
              {
                "name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
                "cweId": "CWE-506",
                "description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
              }
            ],
            "source": "https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/@zeronexcode/baileys/MAL-2026-17326.json",
            "indicators": {
              "evidence_files": [
                {
                  "path": "lib/Socket/index.js",
                  "tlsh": "0c119c5f9af7857109e3a895085f60e7b521a913b247e969731d4356cf8308888857ce",
                  "sha256": "4c05d85abdf76d1b7a0644a87264309e8db7756abf907eeea1dcd5660d23e014"
                }
              ],
              "package_integrity": [
                {
                  "hashes": {
                    "sha1": "09f1935b988b8e1a9853cd6e8bee70581cc1068b",
                    "sha512_sri": "sha512-6oWQhKpv5Nijb8BoyfmaUr44CrStvgup6o6vvIQRv4P1yEHcx49rDqUtxGlh3hvFDJFlhsA605IW0AkllnkdSQ=="
                  },
                  "filename": "baileys-7.0.0-zeronex.8.tgz"
                }
              ]
            }
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-12T17:45:05.986829714Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://www.npmjs.com/package/@zeronexcode/baileys/v/7.0.0-zeronex.8",
        "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-cghr-f3w3-qh2h"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "iocs": {
          "files": [
            {
              "note": "Auto-follows channel 120363427099186895@newsletter on connect.",
              "paths": [
                "package/lib/Socket/index.js"
              ],
              "source": "PACKAGE_ARCHIVE",
              "digests": {
                "sha256": "4c05d85abdf76d1b7a0644a87264309e8db7756abf907eeea1dcd5660d23e014"
              }
            }
          ]
        },
        "malicious-packages-origins": [
          {
            "id": "IN-MAL-2026-021454",
            "sha256": "ed77130bf7a34aa77306ff8a654c0d51e2c2b68153849d89c100d13430322f88",
            "source": "amazon-inspector",
            "versions": [
              "7.0.0-zeronex.8"
            ],
            "import_time": "2026-10-11T17:15:52.084272925Z",
            "modified_time": "2026-10-11T16:54:22Z"
          },
          {
            "id": "GHSA-cghr-f3w3-qh2h",
            "ranges": [
              {
                "type": "SEMVER",
                "events": [
                  {
                    "introduced": "0"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ],
            "sha256": "5dd9996269bfb2b5ea9c5310fed819139eaf2b663e740fc8be34052da1128e4e",
            "source": "ghsa-malware",
            "import_time": "2026-10-12T17:27:28.141243013Z",
            "modified_time": "2026-10-12T16:41:46Z"
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    "related_cves": [],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": null
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 306315,
  "published_at": "2026-09-25T15:37:42+00:00"
}