CVE-2026-32032 — openclaw
Fix: openclaw/openclaw@25e89ccCVE-2026-32032 is a CWE-426 vulnerability in openclaw. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.
OpenClaw < 2026.2.22 - Arbitrary Shell Execution via Unvalidated SHELL Environment Variable
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-32032.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
openclawnpmDescription
The shell environment fallback path could invoke an attacker-controlled shell when SHELL was inherited from an untrusted host environment. In affected builds, shell-env loading used $SHELL -l -c 'env -0' without validating that SHELL points to a trusted executable.
In threat-model terms, this requires local environment compromise or untrusted startup environment injection first; it is not a remote pre-auth path. The hardening patch validates SHELL as an absolute normalized executable, prefers /etc/shells, applies trusted-prefix fallback checks, and falls back safely to /bin/sh when validation fails. The dangerous env-var policy now also blocks SHELL overrides.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Affected versions:
<= 2026.2.21-2 - Latest published vulnerable version:
2026.2.21-2 - Patched versions (planned next release):
>= 2026.2.22
Fix Commit(s)
25e89cc86338ef475d26be043aa541dfdb95e52a
Release Process Note
The advisory pre-sets patched_versions to the planned next release (2026.2.22). After that npm release is published, maintainers can publish this advisory without further version-field edits.
OpenClaw thanks @athuljayaram for reporting.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.2.22npm install openclaw@2026.2.22 |
Affected Products
openclawopenclawDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openclaw, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update openclaw to 2026.2.22 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-32032 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-32032 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.