Supply Chain Attack on Cline CLI Installs Malicious AI Agent
CybersecuritySupplyChainAttackClineCLIOpenClawMalwareSoftwareDevelopmentAICodingAssistant
On February 17, 2026, at 3:26 AM PT, an unauthorized party exploited a compromised npm publish token to release a malicious update (version 2.3.0) of the open-source AI coding assistant Cline CLI. The update covertly installed OpenClaw, a self-hosted autonomous AI agent. The attack targeted the software supply chain, affecting developers who installed the compromised version. No additional technical details or impacts were specified beyond the unauthorized installation of OpenClaw.