mal-2026-17450
Vulnerability from ossf_malicious_packages
Published
Modified
2026-10-01 23:05
Summary
Malicious code in rubbydev-crash-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 62-70 (cited line 68: QueryIds.FOLLOW) run in the body of makeNewsletterSocket, so they fire whenever a socket is created: 10 seconds later the code sends a FOLLOW query for the channel JID 120363427594836299@newsletter, stored as the base64 literal MTIwMzYzNDI3NTk0ODM2Mjk5QG5ld3NsZXR0ZXI= and decoded with Buffer.from(..., "base64"). 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: 6f864bd56ccace95160247ff88e51a463a7655ce0daa083ac6748c714970e016.

Credits
Rising Sun Solutions LLC github.com/jaym2026
To clipboard 

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "npm",
        "name": "rubbydev-crash-baileys"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            }
          ],
          "type": "SEMVER"
        }
      ],
      "versions": [
        "1.0.0"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "credits": [
    {
      "contact": [
        "https://github.com/jaym2026"
      ],
      "name": "Rising Sun Solutions LLC",
      "type": "FINDER"
    }
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "iocs": {
      "files": [
        {
          "digests": {
            "sha256": "6b864aa4b99d33858b12f25db65ac5877b0434eb172ece19db8b795eee75e5f7"
          },
          "note": "File containing the injected WhatsApp Channel follow code.",
          "paths": [
            "package/lib/Socket/newsletter.js"
          ],
          "source": "PACKAGE_ARCHIVE"
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "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\u0027s 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.\n\n`package/lib/Socket/newsletter.js` lines 62-70 (cited line 68: `QueryIds.FOLLOW`) run in the body of `makeNewsletterSocket`, so they fire whenever a socket is created: 10 seconds later the code sends a FOLLOW query for the channel JID `120363427594836299@newsletter`, stored as the base64 literal `MTIwMzYzNDI3NTk0ODM2Mjk5QG5ld3NsZXR0ZXI=` and decoded with `Buffer.from(..., \"base64\")`. There is no opt-out and the behavior is not documented.\n\nLine numbers refer to version 1.0.0.\n\nStatic 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\u0027 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\u0027s account to inflate the publisher\u0027s channel subscribers.\n\nSHA-256 of the published npm tarball(s): 1.0.0: `6f864bd56ccace95160247ff88e51a463a7655ce0daa083ac6748c714970e016`.",
  "id": "MAL-2026-17450",
  "modified": "2026-10-01T23:05:37Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ARTICLE",
      "url": "https://www.ox.security/blog/phantomsub-malicious-npm-campaign-secretly-adds-users-to-whatsapp-spam-channels/"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://www.npmjs.com/package/rubbydev-crash-baileys"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.7.4",
  "summary": "Malicious code in rubbydev-crash-baileys (npm)"
}



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Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.

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