> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What is this Clawdbot, Err Moltbot, Everyone's Screaming About? - URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/clawdbot-fiasco-explained/ - Published: 2026-01-28T13:06:38.000Z - Updated: 2026-01-28T13:06:38.000Z - Description: This open source project has survived Anthropic's trademark lawyers, crypto scammers hijacking its identity, and security holes exposing users. - Author: Sourav Rudra - Tags: News Late last year, [Peter Steinberger](https://steipete.me/?ref=itsfoss.com) launched [Clawdbot](https://clawd.bot/?ref=itsfoss.com), an open source AI assistant that **runs locally on a user's hardware** and executes tasks instead of just chatting about them. You message it through WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, or iMessage, and it handles tasks across your digital life. It reads and responds to emails, manages your calendar, controls your browser, runs shell commands, and remembers everything through persistent memory stored locally on your machine. Heck, Clawdbot even got people buying [Mac mini](https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/?ref=itsfoss.com) devices in droves just so they could get their hands on its capabilities. Like most viral projects, Clawdbot got served "*a polite email asking for a name change*" [by Anthropic](https://docs.molt.bot/start/lore?ref=itsfoss.com#:~:text=For%20a%20while%2C%20the%20lobster%20was%20called%20Clawd%2C%20living%20in%20a%20Clawdbot.%20But%20in%20January%202026%2C%20Anthropic%20sent%20a%20polite%20email%20asking%20for%20a%20name%20change%20%28trademark%20stuff%29.%20And%20so%20the%20lobster%20did%20what%20lobsters%20do%20best%3A), the company behind Claude AI. Following a 5 AM community voting session on Discord, the project decided on the new [Moltbot](https://www.molt.bot/?ref=itsfoss.com) name. Their branding, [X handle](https://x.com/moltbot/status/2016058924403753024?ref=itsfoss.com), documentation, etc. have all been changed accordingly. The project's woes didn't stop there, as Peter [tweeted yesterday](https://x.com/steipete/status/2016073406840476131?ref=itsfoss.com) that his [GitHub](https://github.com/steipete?ref=itsfoss.com) account's username was stolen by [crypto scammers](https://itsfoss.com/news/snap-store-under-siege/). The issue was a combination of him messing up the renaming of his account in a panic induced by the *@clawdbot* handle getting taken over by a crypto-flavored squatter and zealous malicious actors pouncing on the username. Luckily, the fix came quickly in the form of the rebrand and Peter regaining access to his GitHub username. And, if you think things are calming down, I wouldn't hold my breath. ## A Banquet of Security Holes Rahul Sood, a known name in entrepreneurial circles, posted [an article](https://x.com/rahulsood/status/2015397582105969106?ref=itsfoss.com) on X a few days ago, where he pointed out the issues with Moltbot. His main concern was [prompt injection attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prompt%5Finjection?ref=itsfoss.com). Malicious PDFs or emails could trick the AI underneath into executing hidden commands. Since Moltbot connects to WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord, any message, document, or webpage could become a potential [attack vector](https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/security/glossary/attack-vector/?ref=itsfoss.com). Similar concerns [were raised](https://x.com/steipete/status/2015266538371125727?ref=itsfoss.com) by another person, to which Peter replied with a list of existing safeguards that included things like enabling sandbox mode, using allowlists for commands, and running the built-in security audit tool. If you think Rahul's word is not authoritative enough for you, then the folks over at [InfoStealers](https://www.infostealers.com/article/clawdbot-the-new-primary-target-for-infostealers-in-the-ai-era/?ref=itsfoss.com) have laid out how Moltbot stores sensitive information like user profiles, memories, and authentication tokens **in plaintext files** that any malware can read. They coin it as "*Cognitive Context Theft*" because hackers get access not only to passwords but also to a user's entire workflow, routines, and who they talk to. Further adding that major [Malware-as-a-Service](https://encyclopedia.kaspersky.com/glossary/malware-as-a-service-maas/?ref=itsfoss.com) (MaaS) families like ***Vidar***, **RedLine*,* and ***Lumma*** are already adapting to target it. --- **Suggested Read 📖:** [*Ubuntu's Snap Store is Under Siege from Scammers*](https://itsfoss.com/news/snap-store-under-siege/) [Ubuntu’s Snap Store is Under Siege from Scammers, and The Gates are OpenAfter years of crypto wallet theft, scammers have escalated to domain takeovers.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/icon/android-chrome-512x512-238.png)It's FOSSSourav Rudra![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/thumbnail/snap-store-crypto-wallet-scams-1.png)](https://itsfoss.com/news/snap-store-under-siege/)