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Malicious package

rafael-bailsnpm

Advisory published Updated

rafael-bails is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-18713) that executes malicious code on install. Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in rafael-bails (npm)

MAL-2026-18713
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall rafael-bails

What this malware does

rafael-bails is a fork of the Baileys WhatsApp Web library that silently subscribes the installer's own authenticated WhatsApp account to an author-chosen WhatsApp Channel. Part of the campaign OX Security documented as "PhantomSub" (2026-09-28): https://www.ox.security/blog/phantomsub-malicious-npm-campaign-secretly-adds-users-to-whatsapp-spam-channels/ . Static read of the published 1.1.3 tarball on 2026-10-16 (not executed) found a hardcoded channel JID 120363401521242390@newsletter together with the newsletter FOLLOW query wired to run automatically after the socket connects, with errors suppressed. Same family as the withdrawn MAL-2026-4519 (chromestaff-baileys 1.1.3). Live on npm with no OSV record as of 2026-10-16.

Malicious versions

all versions

Every published version of this package is considered malicious — remove it entirely.

Detection & response playbook

Malicious package
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for rafael-bails (all published versions).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    Remove rafael-bails from your project and lockfile, then assume any secrets accessible to the build or runtime were exposed: rotate API keys, tokens, and credentials, and audit for unexpected outbound activity or persistence.

  3. Did it already run?

    If rafael-bails 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. rafael-bails on npm has been identified as a malicious package (all published versions flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

References

Credits

  • OX Security · finder
  • Patrick Duggan, DugganUSA · reporter

Detect & block this

O3 blocks rafael-bails-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the malicious outbound activity and severs the channel.

Explore

rafael-bails (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-18713 | O3 Security