What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-28363?

CVE-2026-28363 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.9 (Critical). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.1%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-28363?

Within 24 hours: Inventory all OpenClaw deployments and confirm versions; disable or restrict access to the sort tool functionality if possible. Within 7 days: Implement network segmentation to limit OpenClaw's lateral movement capability and enable detailed logging/monitoring of all tool execution requests. Within 30 days: Contact vendor for patch timeline; if patch becomes available, prioritize deployment; if not, evaluate alternative tools or implement strict input validation proxies in front of OpenClaw instances.

Openclaw CVE-2026-28363

CRITICAL

Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs (CWE-184)

2026-02-27 cve@mitre.org

GHSA-3c6h-g97w-fg78

GHSA-7977-c43c-xpwj

Authentication Bypass Privilege Escalation Openclaw

9.9

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

Access

Authenticate to OpenClaw
Exploit

Submit sort command with GNU long-option abbreviation (--compress-prog)
Execution

Bypass safeBins allowlist validation
Impact

Execute unapproved arbitrary code

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-184 OWASP Top 10:2025 A05:2025 - Injection ASVS 5.0 V2 - Validation and Business Logic Input validation completeness
Exploitation Conditions	OpenClaw before 2026.2.23 with allowlist mode enabled for tools.exec.safeBins validation of sort command. Attacker requires valid authentication credentials (PR:L). The vulnerability exploits incomplete pattern matching that accepts abbreviated GNU long-options while denying only exact full option names like --compress-program.
Impact	CVSS 9.9 with scope change. Creative bypass of exec restrictions through GNU coreutils behavior.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	Attacker uses sort binary (whitelisted) with abbreviated GNU long options to write to arbitrary files or execute commands that were intended to be restricted.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.

Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

Validation bypass in OpenClaw tools.exec.safeBins allows shell command execution through GNU long-option abbreviation. Attackers can abuse the 'sort' binary whitelist entry to execute arbitrary commands via abbreviated flags. CVSS 9.9.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)

v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 21:55 CVSS 9.9

Shell escape via GNU long-option abbreviation bypass in OpenClaw.

RemediationAI

Update to OpenClaw 2026.2.23 or later. Implement strict argument validation beyond binary name matching.

Affected Packages

npm openclaw fix: 2026.2.23

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in npm

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

CWE-184 incomplete denylist. The safeBins validation for 'sort' can be bypassed using GNU's long-option abbreviation feature (e.g., --output can be abbreviated), allowing execution of unintended operations.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 9.9 CRITICAL

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

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Patch released

Mar 31, 2026 - 21:13 nvd

Patch available

CVE Published

Feb 27, 2026 - 04:16 nvd

CRITICAL 9.9

DescriptionCVE.org

In OpenClaw before 2026.2.23, tools.exec.safeBins validation for sort could be bypassed via GNU long-option abbreviations (such as --compress-prog) in allowlist mode, leading to approval-free execution paths that were intended to require approval. Only an exact string such as --compress-program was denied.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-28363 is a critical vulnerability in OpenClaw that allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands without proper authorization by bypassing security validation controls. This affects any organization using OpenClaw before version 2026.2.23 and could enable unauthorized system access, data theft, or malware deployment if exploited.

Business Impact: Severe

Compensating Controls

Implement WAF rules to block GNU long-option abbreviations (--compress-prog, etc.) in requests to OpenClaw sort functionality; disable the sort tool entirely if not business-critical; enforce strict network segmentation limiting OpenClaw access to authorized users only; deploy command execution monitoring and alerting; require manual approval workflows for all sort operations at the application layer until patch is available.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

0.1%

Top 72% exploitable

Data Quality

4 sources

Confidence: Medium

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

GitHub

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity CRITICAL

CISA KEV No

Public POC No

EPSS 0.1%

Patch available Yes

Active threat No

Deciding rule

CRITICAL severity

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Scheduled

Exploitation· derived

None

System Exposure· derived

Open

Automatable· derived

Human Impact

Very High

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: 0

CVSS: +50

PoC: 0

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication Bypass CRITICAL

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

Privilege Escalation HIGH

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.