Unauthorized npm publish of [email protected] with modified postinstall scriptGHSA-9ppg-jx86-fqw7
GHSA-9ppg-jx86-fqw7 is a security vulnerability in cline. A fix is available for cline — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
clinenpmDescription
Description
On February 17, 2026 at 3:26 AM PT, an unauthorized party used a compromised npm publish token to publish an update to Cline CLI on the NPM registry: [email protected]. The published package contains a modified package.json with an added postinstall script:
"postinstall": "npm install -g openclaw@latest"
This causes openclaw (an unrelated, non-malicious open source package) to be globally installed when [email protected] is installed. No other files were modified -- the CLI binary (dist/cli.mjs) and all other package contents are identical to the legitimate [email protected] release.
A corrected version (2.4.0) was published at 11:23 AM PT and 2.3.0 was deprecated at 11:30 AM PT. The compromised token has been revoked and npm publishing now uses OIDC provenance via GitHub Actions.
Impact
Users who installed Cline CLI [email protected] during the approximately 8-hour window between 3:26 AM PT and 11:30 AM PT on February 17 will have openclaw globally installed. The openclaw package is a legitimate open source project and is not malicious, but its installation was not authorized or intended.
The Cline VS Code extension and JetBrains plugin were not affected. This advisory applies only to the Cline CLI package published on npm.
Patches
Versions 2.4.0 and higher are fixed
Workarounds
If you installed Cline CLI [email protected]:
- Update to the latest version of the Cline CLI
cline updateornpm installl -g cline@latest - Verify that you have a fixed version (2.4.0 or higher)
cline --version - Review your environment for any unexpected installation of OpenClaw and remove it if not intended
npm uninstall -g openclaw
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | cline | ≥ 2.3.0&&< 2.4.0 | 2.4.0npm install cline@2.4.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for cline, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update cline to 2.4.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-9ppg-jx86-fqw7 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-9ppg-jx86-fqw7 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.