Cline CLI unauthorized npm publish with malicious postinstall script

Severity: info · Published 2026-02-19

An attacker gained control of the npm publishing token for Cline CLI, a command-line tool, and released version 2.3.0 with a modified installation script that automatically downloads and installs an unintended open-source package globally. While the installed package (openclaw) is itself benign, the unauthorized modification represents a supply-chain compromise that could be leveraged to inject malicious payloads in future releases. Users affected during the 8-hour window were forced to install unwanted software.

Technologies: cline (npm). Vendors: npm.

Quick answers

Is This vulnerability exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of This vulnerability being exploited in the wild.
How severe is This vulnerability?
Informational severity, published 19 February 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
cline (npm) SEMVER:introduced=2.3.0,fixed=2.4.0.
Is there a fix for This vulnerability?
Yes. cline (npm): upgrade to 2.4.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is This vulnerability attacked?
It is attacked over the network.
Am I affected?
Check whether you run cline (npm) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

  • cline (npm): upgrade to 2.4.0 or later
    npm install cline@2.4.0

Technical details

This is a supply-chain attack exploiting a compromised npm publishing token (CWE-506: Embedded Malicious Code). The attacker modified the package.json postinstall script in cline@2.3.0 to execute "npm install -g openclaw@latest" during installation, causing unauthorized global package installation. The attack affects only the npm CLI package distributed via the npm registry; the VS Code extension and JetBrains plugin were unaffected. The malicious version was published for approximately 8 hours (Feb 17, 3:26 AM–11:30 AM PT) before being deprecated and replaced with version 2.4.0. The compromised token has been revoked and the project now uses OIDC provenance via GitHub Actions for future publishes.

Affected products

  • Cline CLI 2.3.0

Timeline

  • 2026-02-17: disclosed: Unauthorized cline@2.3.0 published at 3:26 AM PT
  • 2026-02-17: patched: Version 2.4.0 published at 11:23 AM PT
  • 2026-02-19: other: GHSA-9ppg-jx86-fqw7 published in GitHub Advisory Database

References

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