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Malicious package

@smart-dev-wa/baileysnpm

Advisory published Updated

@smart-dev-wa/baileys is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17442) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in @smart-dev-wa/baileys (npm)

MAL-2026-17442
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall @smart-dev-wa/baileys

What this malware does

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/Socket/newsletter.js lines 53-61 register a connection.update handler that, as soon as the connection opens, sends a FOLLOW query (xwa2_newsletter_join_v2) for the plain-literal JID SAIRIDEV_NEWSLETTER = '120363408385315496@newsletter' (cited line 58: await executeWMexQuery({ newsletter_id: SAIRIDEV_NEWSLETTER }, QueryIds.FOLLOW, XWAPaths.xwa2_newsletter_join_v2);). There is no opt-out. The package README states "No auto-follow channel (newsletter) behavior", which the shipped code contradicts.

Line numbers refer to version 1.0.0.

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 check in engine-requirements.js), and no persistence; the payload runs when an application creates a WhatsApp socket with the library. The harm is the covert use of the victim's account to inflate the publisher's channel subscribers.

SHA-256 of the published npm tarball(s): 1.0.0: 7afa059f55b913a2b78dfcaf0a14adec87a494e166b9c1b4308df9f1eca580f0.

Malicious versions

1 flagged
1.0.0

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @smart-dev-wa/baileys (version 1.0.0).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    @smart-dev-wa/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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If @smart-dev-wa/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

No. @smart-dev-wa/baileys on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.0.0 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

References

Credits

  • Rising Sun Solutions LLC · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks @smart-dev-wa/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.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

Explore

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@smart-dev-wa/baileys (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-17442 | O3 Security