---
id: "MAL-2026-18900"
page: "https://infrastack.ai/live/MAL-2026-18900"
kind: "package"
aliases: ["MAL-2026-18900"]
title: "Malicious code in @skycodee/baileys (npm)"
severity: "critical"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: [{"name": "@skycodee/baileys", "fixed": [], "affected": "= 8.0.5; = 8.0.6; = 8.0.7; = 8.0.8; = 8.0.9; = 8.0.10; = 8.0.11; = 8.0.12; = 8.0.13; = 8.0.14; = 8.0.15", "ecosystem": "npm"}]
ecosystems: ["npm"]
tags: ["malicious", "package"]
not_affected_if: []
published_at: "2026-10-27T00:00:00+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-11-09T23:37:49+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-11-09T23:39:36+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "osv-malicious", "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-18900", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-09T23:37:49+00:00"}]
exploit_sources: []
---

# Malicious code in @skycodee/baileys (npm)

Link for people: https://infrastack.ai/live/MAL-2026-18900 (this .md is for agents)

## Affected

- npm:@skycodee/baileys affected = 8.0.5; = 8.0.6; = 8.0.7; = 8.0.8; = 8.0.9; = 8.0.10; = 8.0.11; = 8.0.12; = 8.0.13; = 8.0.14; = 8.0.15 fixed no fixed version listed

## Timeline

- 2026-11-09T23:37:49+00:00 osv-malicious https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-18900

## From the sources

@skycodee/baileys is a fork of the Baileys WhatsApp Web library that silently subscribes the installer's own WhatsApp account to WhatsApp Channels chosen by the publisher. When the socket connects, code in lib/Socket/socket.js sends the WhatsApp w:mex FOLLOW query for a list downloaded at runtime from https://raw.github.com/skyzopedia/NewsletterID/refs/heads/main/VIP_Push.json (the URL itself stored as character-code arrays), using the victim's authenticated session and without telling them. Same behaviour as the PhantomSub family (MAL-2026-17342).

Update 2026-11-06: a second covert path, in every version from 8.0.5 to 8.0.15. lib/Utils/messages-media.js exports loadBase, which makeNewsletterSocket (lib/Socket/newsletter.js) calls on every socket creation as loadBase(newsletterWMexQuery, QueryIds). 80 seconds later it fetches a channel list from a URL stored as base64 and, 5 seconds apart, calls newsletterWMexQuery(id, QueryIds.FOLLOW) for each entry, swallowing errors and logging nothing. lib/Utils/messages-media.js sha256 657662b2ae2e8cc1808715d8219d4e7ca7182f6eacda8d79b1cee4b721c88939 in all eleven (byte-identical to @rixxcodex/baileys 8.2.0); the URL decodes to https://raw.githubusercontent.com/skyzopedia/Screaper/refs/heads/main/idChannel.json. 8.0.5 to 8.0.11 have only this path, so they are added to the affected versions. 8.0.0 to 8.0.4 ship no lib/ directory and are not listed. CyberXYZ read every published version statically from the npm registry tarballs on 2026-11-06 (integrity verified); nothing was executed. Amazon Inspector described the same loadBase loop in @rixxcodex/baileys (MAL-2026-16483).

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