{"id":"CVE-2026-32023","aliases":["GHSA-ccg8-46r6-9qgj"],"url":"https://o3.security/vulnerability/CVE-2026-32023","summary":"OpenClaw < 2026.2.24 - Approval Gating Bypass via Dispatch-Wrapper Depth-Cap Mismatch in system.run","details":"### Summary\nA wrapper-depth parsing mismatch in `system.run` allowed nested transparent dispatch wrappers (for example repeated `/usr/bin/env`) to suppress shell-wrapper detection while still matching allowlist resolution. In `security=allowlist` + `ask=on-miss`, this could bypass the expected approval prompt for shell execution.\n\n### Severity / Trust Model\nOpenClaw’s documented model treats authenticated gateway callers as trusted operators and exec approvals as operator guardrails. This issue is still a real approval-boundary bypass and is triaged as **Medium** in that model.\n\n### Technical Details\n- Dispatch-wrapper unwrapping stopped at `MAX_DISPATCH_WRAPPER_DEPTH`.\n- Shell-wrapper extraction could return non-wrapper once depth was exhausted.\n- Allowlist resolution could still succeed on partially unwrapped argv beginning with `/usr/bin/env`.\n- Result: nested wrapper chains could execute `/bin/sh -c ...` without fresh approval in `allowlist` + `ask=on-miss`.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Latest published version at triage time: `2026.2.23`\n- Vulnerable versions: `<= 2026.2.23`\n- Patched versions (planned next release): `>= 2026.2.24`\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n- `57c9a18180c8b14885bbd95474cbb17ff2d03f0b`\n\n### Verification\n- Added regression coverage for depth-overflow wrapper chains at resolution and `system.run` invocation layers.\n- Reproduced previous PoC behavior before fix, then confirmed denial after fix with `SYSTEM_RUN_DENIED: approval required`.\n\n### Release Process Note\n`patched_versions` is pre-set to the planned next release (`2026.2.24`) so once npm publish is complete, advisory publication can proceed without additional version edits.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.\n\n\n### Publication Update (2026-02-25)\n`openclaw@2026.2.24` is published on npm and contains the fix commit(s) listed above. This advisory now marks `>= 2026.2.24` as patched.","published":"2026-03-19T22:06:59.474Z","modified":"2026-08-17T03:54:57.604022080Z","cvss":null,"epss":null,"cisaKev":null,"exploitsKnown":0,"affectedPackages":[{"ecosystem":"npm","name":"openclaw","fixedVersion":"2026.2.24"}],"fix":{"url":"https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/57c9a18180c8b14885bbd95474cbb17ff2d03f0b","label":"openclaw/openclaw@57c9a18"},"references":[{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/32xxx/CVE-2026-32023.json"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-ccg8-46r6-9qgj"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32023"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-approval-gating-bypass-via-dispatch-wrapper-depth-cap-mismatch-in-system-run"},{"type":"FIX","url":"https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/57c9a18180c8b14885bbd95474cbb17ff2d03f0b"},{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"}],"provenance":{"sources":["OSV.dev","FIRST.org (EPSS)"],"lastVerified":"2026-08-17T03:54:57.604022080Z"}}