OpenClaw hit 200k stars in 90 days. Then came the malware.
Open Source

OpenClaw hit 200k stars in 90 days. Then came the malware.

Austrian dev ships weekend project in November 2025. By February 2026: 200,000 GitHub stars, 42,000 exposed instances, 1,184 malicious packages, and a one-click RCE. Then OpenAI hired him. This is what happens when AI agents grow faster than their security model.

· 5 min read
200K GitHub Stars in 90 Days, Then Everything Broke
Open Source

200K GitHub Stars in 90 Days, Then Everything Broke

OpenClaw went from weekend project to OpenAI acquihire in three months. In between: 1,184 malicious packages, 42,000 exposed instances, and the fastest supply chain attack in open source history. This is what happens when AI agents grow faster than their security model.

· 5 min read