Major Malicious Skill Threat Uncovered: 'What Would Elon Do' Exposed as Backdoor Trojan in ClawHub

The Skill ecosystem has become a new frontline for supply chain attacks. Security researchers have uncovered a disturbing trend: ClawHub, a popular Skill marketplace, harbors a significant malicious threat landscape with over 1,100 compromised packages flooding the platform. Among these, the once-popular Skill titled ‘What Would Elon Do’ stands out as a particularly dangerous case—revealed to be malicious code designed to infiltrate and compromise user systems.

How the Attack Works: The Malicious Skill Campaign

This malicious Skill leveraged sophisticated social engineering tactics to gain widespread adoption. Attackers artificially inflated download rankings using automated bot networks and coordinated manipulation strategies, tricking users into installing what appeared to be legitimate software. The deceptive Skill was ranked among ClawHub’s most downloaded applications, creating a false sense of legitimacy.

Once installed on a victim’s system, the malicious program springs into action. The Skill exfiltrates critical credentials including SSH keys and cryptocurrency wallet private keys—data that grants attackers complete access to users’ infrastructure and digital assets. The software also harvests browser cookies, expanding the attack surface. After establishing these footholds, the malicious code creates a reverse shell connection to attacker-controlled servers, enabling remote code execution and persistence on compromised systems.

The Real Cost: Asset Theft and System Compromise

The consequences extend far beyond theoretical vulnerability. According to GoPlus security monitoring, actual users have suffered verified asset losses directly linked to this malicious Skill deployment. The compromise of wallet private keys alone represents catastrophic loss—attackers gained unfettered access to users’ cryptocurrency holdings and were able to drain funds systematically.

This incident reveals how the Skill supply chain has become a viable attack vector. By targeting the ClawHub marketplace directly, attackers can reach a large user base with relatively minimal detection. The malicious Skill operated long enough to accumulate significant downloads before being identified by security researchers.

ClawHub’s Malicious Package Problem: An Ecosystem Under Siege

The situation is more severe than any single malicious Skill. Cybersecurity researcher chiefofautism has disclosed a troubling fact: ClawHub currently contains 1,184 confirmed malicious Skills, representing a systemic problem within the marketplace itself. Even more alarming, a single threat actor is responsible for uploading 677 of these packages—indicating a coordinated, large-scale poisoning campaign against the ecosystem.

This concentration of malicious packages from a single attacker suggests the marketplace’s vetting processes may be inadequate. It also demonstrates that such attacks can be executed at scale, compromising the integrity of the entire Skill distribution network.

Immediate Security Recommendations

GoPlus urgently advises users to cease running OpenClaw instances without comprehensive security protections in place. Users should:

• Avoid downloading Skills from untrusted sources or those with suspicious download spikes
• Implement security monitoring tools specifically designed to detect malicious Skill behavior
• Regularly audit installed Skills and remove any with questionable origins
• Prioritize wallet security by using hardware wallets or multisig solutions for sensitive cryptocurrency holdings

The discovery of this malicious Skill ecosystem underscores a critical vulnerability in decentralized software distribution platforms. Until marketplace governance and verification mechanisms improve significantly, users must assume a heightened security posture when interacting with Skill-based applications.