@kelvdra/baileysnpm
Advisory published Updated
@kelvdra/baileys is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17362) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.0.5-rc.3, 1.0.6, 1.0.6-rc.1…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in @kelvdra/baileys (npm)
What this malware does
This package is part of a large family (100+ identified as of September 2026) of near-identical
forks of the Baileys WhatsApp Web library that inject a covert channel-subscription action into
the WhatsApp socket layer. On connect, the injected code issues an authenticated w:mex FOLLOW
query (query_id 7871414976211147) against one or more attacker-chosen WhatsApp Channel/Newsletter
JIDs, using the installer's own authenticated WhatsApp session -- silently subscribing the
victim's account to channels it never asked to join.
The target JID(s) are hidden from casual source review via one of several obfuscation techniques observed across the family: a plain string literal, base64 encoding, base64+XOR, or a char-code array reconstructed at runtime. Some variants instead fetch a mutable, attacker-controlled remote JSON/JS list of target JIDs from GitHub or another host at runtime, letting the target list change after installation without a new npm publish. Every sample in the family shares the same underlying mechanism (a wrapped/patched socket-connect routine that fires the FOLLOW query some seconds after connect), even though the package name, JID value(s), and obfuscation/delivery method differ per fork.
The malicious action abuses the installer's own authenticated WhatsApp session to gain reach and subscribers for attacker-controlled channels; it does not exfiltrate credentials, establish persistence, or execute arbitrary remote code.
Affected package: @kelvdra/baileys (npm), version(s): 1.0.6-rc.1, 1.0.6, 1.0.5-rc.3.
package.json declares libsignal as github:Kelvdra/libsignal — an off-registry, mutable git source with no commit SHA, no version pin, and no integrity check. On npm install, npm fetches whatever the referenced GitHub tree contains at that moment and installs it, executing any lifecycle scripts (preinstall/install/postinstall/prepare) the fetched repository declares. Whoever controls the Kelvdra/libsignal repository controls arbitrary code execution on the installer's machine at install time. The dependency name libsignal also mirrors the well-known WhatsApp/Signal library commonly consumed via the Baileys ecosystem, but resolution is redirected to an author-owned GitHub tree rather than a pinned registry release. The static ping rule hit in lib/Utils/generics.js is a keyword co-occurrence in an ID/version generation helper and does not itself indicate exfiltration.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @kelvdra/baileys (8 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
@kelvdra/baileys is built to steal secrets, so assume every credential the build or runtime could read is compromised. Remove it from your project and lockfile, then rotate ALL exposed secrets — npm/registry tokens, cloud keys, CI/CD secrets, SSH keys, and any .env values — from a known-clean machine. Audit logs for unauthorized use of those credentials.
Did it already run?
If @kelvdra/baileys was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.
Frequently asked questions
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
- OX Security · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks @kelvdra/baileys-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.