OpenClaw < 2026.2.22 - Remote Code Execution via SHELLOPTS/PS4 Environment Injection in system.run
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain an environment variable injection vulnerability in the system.run function that allows attackers to bypass command allowlist restrictions via SHELLOPTS and PS4 environment variables. An attacker who can invoke system.run with request-scoped environment variables can execute arbitrary shell commands outside the intended allowlisted command body through bash xtrace expansion.
- Published
- Mar 19, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 23, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.8% · 56th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-78
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Report tools
Action score
30
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.8%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · VulnCheck
- 7.5
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| openclaw | openclaw | cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- openclaw openclawbefore 2026.2.22
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (VulnCheck). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
OpenClaw OpenClaw
- 2026.2.22not affected
- before 2026.2.22affected · semver
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | openclaw | before 2026.2.22 | 2026.2.22 |
Same product
openclaw: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2026-25253OpenClaw (aka clawdbot or Moltbot) before 2026.1.29 obtains a gatewayUrl value from a query string and automatically makes a WebSocket conne42Plan
- CVE-2026-30741A remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in OpenClaw Agent Platform v2026.2.6 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a Request-Si39Monitor
- CVE-2026-43534OpenClaw < 2026.4.10 - Unsanitized External Input in Agent Hook Events37Monitor
- CVE-2026-33579OpenClaw < 2026.3.28 - Privilege Escalation via Missing Caller Scope Validation in Device Pair Approval37Monitor
- CVE-2026-32917OpenClaw < 2026.3.13 - Remote Command Injection via Unsanitized iMessage Attachment Paths in SCP37Monitor
- CVE-2026-32987OpenClaw < 2026.3.13 - Bootstrap Setup Code Replay via Device Pairing37Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| OpenClaw OpenClaw | 2026.2.22 | Vendor (CNA) |
| npm:openclaw | 2026.2.22 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- tdjackeyreporter
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
- CVE-2026-3291712 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.3.13 - Remote Command Injection via Unsanitized iMessage Attachment Paths in SCP37Monitor
- CVE-2026-2476345 days apartAuthenticated Command Injection in OpenClaw Docker Execution via PATH Environment Variable37Monitor
- CVE-2026-2839114 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.2.2 - Command Injection via cmd.exe Parsing Bypass in Allowlist Enforcement36Monitor
- CVE-2026-2847014 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.2.2 - Exec Allowlist Bypass via Command Substitution in Double Quotes36Monitor
- CVE-2026-2632328 days apartOpenClaw has a command injection in maintainer clawtributors updater35Monitor
- CVE-2026-2846314 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.2.14 - Arbitrary File Read via Shell Expansion in Safe Bins Allowlist34Monitor
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
- CVE-2026-320140 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.2.26 - Node Reconnect Metadata Spoofing via Unsigned Platform Fields34Monitor
- CVE-2026-320360 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.2.26- Authentication Bypass via Encoded Dot-Segment Traversal in /api/channels33Monitor
- CVE-2026-320250 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.2.25 - Password Brute-Force via Browser-Origin WebSocket Authentication Bypass30Monitor
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- Administrator privileges are required.
- No user action is required.
- Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- Integrity
- Availability
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- High
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- X
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-78 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
nvd-secondary
Root cause
User input is inserted as text into a shell command. The shell may interpret special characters in the input as part of the command.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-78 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
const host = req.body.host;exec("ping -c 1 " + host, onResult);Fixed
const host = req.body.host;if (!/^[a-z0-9.-]{1,253}$/i.test(host)) return res.sendStatus(400);execFile("ping", ["-c", "1", host], onResult);Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Command Line Execution through SQL InjectionCAPEC-108likelihood: Low · Very High
- Command DelimitersCAPEC-15likelihood: High · High
- Exploiting Multiple Input Interpretation LayersCAPEC-43likelihood: Medium · High
- Argument InjectionCAPEC-6likelihood: High · High
- OS Command InjectionCAPEC-88likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/e80c803fa887f9699ad87a9e906ab5c1ff85bd9a
- github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-2fgq-7j6h-9rm4
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-remote-code-execution-via-shellopts-ps4-environment-injection-in-system-run
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.