Loading...
Skip to main content
GeekWala

CVE-2026-28391

HIGH

OpenClaw's Windows cmd.exe parsing may bypass exec allowlist/approval gating

Published February 17, 2026Updated March 10, 2026Source: osv

Summary

### Summary On Windows nodes, exec requests were executed via `cmd.exe /d /s /c <rawCommand>`. In allowlist/approval-gated mode, the allowlist analysis did not model Windows `cmd.exe` parsing and metacharacter behavior. A crafted command string could cause `cmd.exe` to interpret additional operations (for example command chaining via `&`, or expansion via `%...%` / `!...!`) beyond what was allowlisted/approved. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: `<= 2026.2.1` - Patched: `>= 2026.2.2` - Latest (npm) as of 2026-02-14: `2026.2.13` ### Details - Default installs: Not affected unless you opt into exec allowlist/approval gating on Windows nodes. - Windows execution uses `cmd.exe` via `src/infra/node-shell.ts`. - The fix hardens Windows allowlist enforcement by: - Passing the platform into allowlist analysis and rejecting Windows shell metacharacters. - Treating `cmd.exe` invocation as not allowlist-safe on Windows. - Avoiding `cmd.exe` entirely in allowlist mode by executing the parsed argv directly when possible. ### Fix Commit(s) - `a7f4a53ce80c98ba1452eb90802d447fca9bf3d6` Thanks @simecek for reporting.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

npm
Update openclaw to 2026.2.2 or later
npm install openclaw@2026.2.2

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
openclaw
npm
All versions2026.2.2

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-78
    OS Command InjectionMITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 9.8 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-28391?
OpenClaw's Windows cmd.exe parsing may bypass exec allowlist/approval gating This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of HIGH (CVSS score: 9.8/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-28391?
CVE-2026-28391 affects openclaw. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-28391 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
9.8

Exploitation is straightforward and causes maximum impact. Patch immediately.

Also Known As

GHSA-qj77-c3c8-9c3q

Related CVEs

  • CVE-2026-28363
    CRITICAL

    OpenClaw is vulnerable to validation bypass through GNU long-option abbreviations in allowlist mode

  • CVE-2026-42434
    HIGH

    OpenClaw: Sandboxed agents could escape exec routing via host=node override

  • CVE-2026-53811
    HIGH

    OpenClaw: Matrix allowFrom could bind to mutable display names

  • CVE-2026-53821
    HIGH

    OpenClaw: Trusted-proxy Control UI WebSocket accepted client-declared scopes before pairing

  • CVE-2026-35669
    HIGH

    OpenClaw: Gateway Plugin HTTP Auth Grants Unrestricted operator.admin Runtime Scope to All Callers

  • CVE-2026-35666
    HIGH

    OpenClaw's system.run allowlist can be bypassed through an unregistered time dispatch wrapper

  • CVE-2026-32060
    HIGH

    OpenClaw has a path traversal in apply_patch could write/delete files outside the workspace

  • CVE-2026-43534
    MEDIUM

    OpenClaw: Agent hook events could enqueue trusted system events from unsanitized external input

Check if you're affected

Scan your dependencies to see if this vulnerability affects your projects.

Scan Your Dependencies