Which versions of kiyoramarkets are malicious?

The following npm versions of kiyoramarkets are flagged malicious: 8.0.16. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate kiyoramarkets if I installed it?

kiyoramarkets 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.

I already installed kiyoramarkets — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If kiyoramarkets 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.

Is kiyoramarkets part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — kiyoramarkets is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-021136, GHSA-23wg-cgvp-f8w7 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find kiyoramarkets across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for kiyoramarkets (version 8.0.16).

Malicious package

kiyoramarketsnpm

Advisory published Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 16, 2026

kiyoramarkets is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17396) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 8.0.16). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in kiyoramarkets (npm)

MAL-2026-17396

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

npm uninstall kiyoramarkets

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: kiyoramarkets (npm), version(s): 8.0.16.

kiyoramarkets is a fork of the Baileys WhatsApp library that adds undocumented behavior using the installer's authenticated WhatsApp session for the author's benefit. On every socket connection, socketConnect() fetches a JSON list from a hardcoded GitHub raw URL constructed by decoding a char-code array (resolves to https://raw.github.com/skyzopedia/NewsletterID/refs/heads/main/VIP_Push.json) and issues mex queries with query_id 7871414976211147 (newsletter action) against each returned id under the installer's account. prepareWAMessageMedia silently defaults the annotations field on outgoing media messages to a hardcoded newsletter reference (newsletterJid 120363409159786018@newsletter, name 'skyzopedia'), attributing/promoting the author's newsletter through media the installer's bot sends. An additional helper generateMessageV decodes a base64+XOR-obfuscated '@newsletter' literal and, on a 40s timer, invokes a callback with the same query_id. The behavior uses the installer's session identity for the author's reach; no credential theft, no filesystem access outside the library, no RCE, no exfiltration of installer secrets is present.

Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

8.0.16

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

6ace45bb33f00d6362e55c9a7521d0efb1cb24761231b8befcce4520aedea430

50aac4306f42109e26f9c69aeb99a2f2a33d5639b3ac23638734b2a4aeef9789

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for kiyoramarkets (version 8.0.16).
If you installed it — respond
kiyoramarkets 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 kiyoramarkets 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. kiyoramarkets on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 8.0.16 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-021136GHSA-23wg-cgvp-f8w7

References

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder
OX Security · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks kiyoramarkets-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

All malware advisories How O3 detects malware Vulnerability database