InfoSec Briefing - February 21, 2026

🎧 Audio Briefing

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Good morning. This is your security briefing for Friday, February 20, 2026, covering one critical security incident. All attribution is by the article authors. All article analysis is automated.

According to Awesome Agents, the Cline CLI package on npm was compromised through a stolen publishing token, resulting in the release of malicious version 2.3.0 that silently installed OpenClaw on developer machines via a postinstall script. This supply chain attack specifically targeted AI developer tools that typically operate with elevated permissions and access to sensitive credentials, demonstrating how legitimate software like OpenClaw can be weaponized as an attack vector for potential credential theft or reverse shell deployment.

That concludes today's briefing.

📰 Articles Covered

Cline CLI Compromised: Hijacked npm Package Silently Installed OpenClaw on Developer Machines - Awesome Agents

A cybersecurity incident involving the **Cline CLI** occurred when a malicious version, `[email protected]`, was published to npm using a compromised publishing token 【1】. This compromised package **silently installed OpenClaw**, an open-source AI agent, on developer machines whenever the `npm install` command was executed 【1】.

**Who is affected:**
* **Developers** who installed or upgraded to version 2.3.0 of the Cline CLI were affected 【1】.

**Security Implications:**
* The incident highlights the **increasing threat of supply chain attacks** within the npm ecosystem and specifically targeting AI developer tools 【1】.
* These tools often operate with **elevated permissions** and can access sensitive credentials, making them prime targets for attackers 【1】.
* While OpenClaw itself is legitimate software and not malware, the attack vector could have easily been used to deliver **malicious payloads** such as credential stealers or reverse shells 【1】.
* The compromise of a publishing token is a significant security concern 【1】.

**Technical Details:**
* The attacker modified only the `package.json` file of the Cline CLI package to include a `"postinstall": "npm install -g openclaw@latest"` hook 【1】.
* All other contents of the package remained identical to the legitimate release 【1】.
* This hook ensured that OpenClaw was automatically installed globally on developer machines when the compromised Cline CLI package was installed or updated via `npm install` 【1】.

**What Defenders Should Know:**
* **`npm install` is essentially code execution**, and postinstall scripts run automatically with user permissions 【1】.
* Developers should **update to a safe version** of Cline, **uninstall OpenClaw** if it was not intentionally installed, and **audit their environments** for any unexpected global packages 【1】.
* Broader mitigation strategies include:
* Adopting tools that can **flag suspicious postinstall scripts** 【1】.
* Considering package managers that **disable automatic postinstall execution** by default 【1】.
* **Pinning dependency versions** and auditing lock files 【1】.
* Enabling **two-factor authentication** for npm accounts 【1】.
* **Rotating publishing tokens** regularly 【1】.