# MAL-2026-17843: Malicious code in @xrelly-stack/bails (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `@xrelly-stack/bails` (npm)
- **Published:** 12 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8qfw-qm7w-8239

## What is MAL-2026-17843?

MAL-2026-17843 is a malicious package in @xrelly-stack/bails, published on 12 Oct 2026. 

### Official description

package.json declares `whatsapp-rust-bridge-baron` as `git+https://github.com/7ucg/whatsapp-rust-bridge.git` — an unpinned git URL with no commit SHA and no tag. On `npm install`, npm fetches whatever the current HEAD of that repository returns and runs any lifecycle scripts inside it, with no integrity check and no version pinning. Whoever controls that GitHub repository controls install-time code execution on every machine that installs this package, and can change that code at any time without republishing to npm. The dependency name (`-baron` suffix) is also a sibling of the primary `whatsapp-rust-bridge` registry dependency listed alongside it, sourced entirely from a third-party GitHub account rather than the npm registry. Combined with the package's `@xrelly-stack/bails` scope resembling the Baileys WhatsApp library ecosystem, the manifest itself is the delivery vector regardless of the contents of the JavaScript shipped in the tarball.

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.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-17843?

Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
MAL-2026-17843 is a malicious package: @xrelly-stack/bails (npm). Every version was published to cause harm.

Task:
1. Search this repository's dependency manifests and lockfiles for the package, including transitive dependencies.
2. If it is present, remove it, regenerate the lockfile with the project's package manager, and replace whatever it was used for.
3. List any CI runners, developer machines or containers that installed it, so their secrets can be rotated.
4. If the package is not used anywhere, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17843/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17843/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-17843

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17843/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.