registry / Malware / @erlanzz/baileys

@erlanzz/baileys

A WebSockets library for interacting with WhatsApp Web — fork of Baileys with extra socket layers (communities, interop, privacy, GraphQL) and special message helpers.

This report shows the evidence for @erlanzz/baileys@1.0.0, the only known version.

This package appears in our research on the malicious Baileys forks, with how it works, the full package list and what to do if you installed it.

OpenSSF/OSV Malicious Advisory

imported 21d ago · by OpenSSF/OSV

OpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-17440 confirms this npm version as malicious.

Advisory

MAL-2026-17440

Source

OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV

Summary

Malicious code in @erlanzz/baileys (npm)

Details

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 47-65 (cited line 58: `QueryIds.FOLLOW`) define an array of three base64 strings and, 90 seconds after the newsletter socket is created, decode each with `Buffer.from(channel, "base64")` and send a FOLLOW query, 6 seconds apart. Decoded JIDs: `120363387182851100@newsletter`, `120363371199176376@newsletter` and `120363421367985094@newsletter`. There is no opt-out and the behavior is not documented. 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: `9bc787ecc07e18d2504ab4e06e97d86d13a9952515a529a28b53a227d247b294`.

References

OpenSSF/OSV advisory ARTICLE PACKAGE

Source & flagged code

0 flagged

No flagged code excerpts are attached to this scan.

Source & flagged code

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Findings

1 High

HighOsv Malicious Advisory

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to @erlanzz/baileys@1.0.0.

The versions list below shows the verdict for each recorded version.

Avoid installing @erlanzz/baileys@1.0.0. Remove it from direct dependencies and check your lockfile for transitive copies.
Choose an independently verified alternative or release. This report does not establish that other versions are safe.
If this version ran, investigate the affected machine and build environment. Rotate credentials it could access and rebuild from a trusted environment.

Evidence last updated: 2026-10-02 05:30:07.345Z (UTC).

Source advisory published: 2026-10-01 23:05:37.000Z (UTC).

This report uses published external intelligence. The advisory does not provide a separate source-code analysis for each listed version.

Think this verdict is wrong? Dispute it on GitHub or read how reports are produced.

Versions

1 known version

1.0.0latestshownMaliciousMalwareBlockPublishedSep 19, 2026, 12:36 PM

OpenSSF/OSV Malicious Advisory

Source & flagged code

Source & flagged code

Findings

Affected versions and remediation

Versions

Related packages

Other malware packages

Source & flagged code

Related packages

Other malware packages