OpenClaw Enforces Radical ‘Crypto Ban’ on Discord After $16M Token Scam Chaos

OpenClaw Enforces Radical 'Crypto Ban' on Discord After $16M Token Scam Chaos

OpenClaw automates the termination of Discord accounts mentioning digital assets following a $16 million unauthorized token issuance and identified security breaches.

TLDR

  • OpenClaw implements a permanent automated ban on keywords including “Bitcoin” and “crypto.”
  • A $16 million unauthorized $CLAWD token reached peak valuation via hijacked social handles.
  • Security audits by SlowMist and Kaspersky identified 386 malicious infostealer scripts.
  • 40,000 OpenClaw instances remain exposed to the public internet without authentication.
  • Founder Peter Steinberger transitioned to OpenAI to lead the Personal Agents division.

The OpenClaw project has integrated an automated moderation layer to terminate Discord accounts referencing digital assets. This policy follows a rebranding phase initiated in January 2026. The shift occurred after Anthropic issued a trademark claim against the original Clawdbot identifier.

The current moderation bot triggers immediate bans for terms such as Bitcoin or crypto. This protocol applies regardless of the technical or non-promotional nature of the message. Management maintains this stance to isolate the developer community from external speculative volatility.

One recorded instance involved a contributor suggesting the use of Bitcoin block height for time synchronization. The automated system terminated the account immediately. This reflects a shift toward total exclusion of blockchain-related discourse within the official repository channels.

The $16 Million Market Event

During the transition from Clawdbot to OpenClaw, unauthorized entities acquired the project’s decommissioned social media handles. These actors launched the $CLAWD token on the Solana network. The asset reached a $16 million market capitalization within three hours of issuance.

A sharp price depreciation followed official disavowals from the project leadership. The asset value decreased by over 90 percent in a single trading session. This volatility expansion led to targeted harassment against the core development team by high-net-worth entities, as detailed in Steinberger’s public statements.

The fallout from this event solidified the decision to implement keyword filtering. Internal reports indicate that the harassment disrupted development cycles for approximately three weeks. Project leadership cited the need to maintain focus on agentic AI architecture over digital asset speculation.

Identified Security Vulnerabilities

Independent audits from SlowMist and Kaspersky confirm the presence of 386 malicious skills in the ClawHub repository. These scripts function as infostealers designed to extract private cryptographic keys and browser cookies. The scripts were disguised as productivity enhancements for the AI agent.

Analysis of the code shows the scripts specifically target browser extensions used for digital asset management. Once installed, the malicious skills execute shell commands to exfiltrate sensitive data to external servers. This represents a significant breach in the open-source supply chain.

Researchers also identified 40,000 active instances operating without authentication protocols. These instances are reachable via the public internet due to insecure default configurations. This exposure allows unauthorized remote actors to execute commands on host machines.

Institutional Alignment and Governance

The project now operates under an independent foundation to ensure long-term stability. Peter Steinberger has moved to OpenAI to oversee the Personal Agents division. This transition marks a formal separation between the project’s origins and its current enterprise trajectory.

The suppression of digital asset terminology aligns the project with enterprise-grade compliance standards. By removing associations with the digital asset sector, the foundation seeks to minimize legal and reputational risks. The focus has shifted entirely to autonomous agent benchmarks and tool integration.

OpenClaw currently holds 200,000 GitHub stars, making it a primary target for sophisticated social engineering. The foundation has increased its security budget to address the 386 identified malicious scripts. Future updates will include mandatory authentication for all local and remote instances.

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Historical Data Reference

MetricRecorded Value
GitHub Star Count200,000+
Peak Unauthorized Valuation$16,000,000
Identified Malicious Scripts386
Unsecured Network Instances40,000
Asset Value Depreciation>90%

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrency markets are volatile, and readers should conduct their own research before making financial decisions.

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