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AI Dev Tool Cline’s npm Token Hijacked by Hackers for 8 Hours

On February 17, 2026, a compromised npm publish token briefly allowed unauthorized access to the Cline CLI npm package. This incident exposed developers who installed the package during an 8-hour window to potential security risks, underscoring the…

MBy Mark JensenFeb 19, 20261 min read

On February 17, 2026, a compromised npm publish token briefly allowed unauthorized access to the Cline CLI npm package. This incident exposed developers who installed the package during an 8-hour window to potential security risks, underscoring the threat of supply chain attacks on developer tools.

At 3:26 AM PT, an unauthorized entity used a stolen npm publish token to upload a malicious version of the Cline CLI, specifically version 2.3.0, to the npm registry. This version included a modified package.json file with an injected postinstall script executing npm install -g openclaw@latest . The rest of the package contents, including the core CLI binary, remained unchanged from the previous version 2.2.3.

The OpenCLAW package, while legitimate and non-malicious, was installed without authorization, raising concerns about potential vulnerabilities in future attacks.

The Cline team identified the tampered release and replaced it with a corrected version 2.4.0 by 11:23 AM PT. The compromised version 2.3.0 was deprecated at 11:30 AM PT, approximately 8 hours after the unauthorized release.

On February 17, 2026, a compromised npm publish token briefly allowed unauthorized access to the Cline CLI npm package.
Mark Jensen · Thehackingpost

To enhance security, the compromised token has been revoked, and npm publishing has transitioned to OIDC provenance via GitHub Actions.

The Cline VS Code extension and JetBrains plugin were unaffected. Developers who installed version 2.3.0 should update to the latest version using cline update or npm install -g cline@latest and verify using cline --version .

If OpenCLAW was installed unintentionally, it can be removed with npm uninstall -g openclaw .

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Organizations utilizing AI developer tools should audit installed CLI tools and enforce strict token management across all package registries to prevent similar incidents.

View the security advisory Learn about OpenCLAW AI

Based on reporting by Cyber Security News.

AI transparency. This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published under human editorial oversight. AI systems can make mistakes. Read how we use AI (EU AI Act, Art. 50).
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