Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
5DescriptionCVE.org
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 fail to sanitize shell startup environment variables HOME and ZDOTDIR in the system.run function, allowing attackers to bypass command allowlist protections. Remote attackers can inject malicious startup files such as .bash_profile or .zshenv to achieve arbitrary code execution before allowlist-evaluated commands are executed.
AnalysisAI
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain a shell environment variable injection vulnerability in the system.run function that allows attackers to bypass command allowlist protections. Authenticated remote attackers with low privileges can inject malicious shell startup files (.bash_profile, .zshenv) via unsanitized HOME and ZDOTDIR variables to achieve arbitrary code execution before allowlisted commands execute. A patch is available from the vendor via GitHub commit c2c7114ed39a547ab6276e1e933029b9530ee906.
Technical ContextAI
The vulnerability affects OpenClaw (cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*), specifically the system.run function which executes shell commands. This is a classic CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command) vulnerability where shell environment variables HOME and ZDOTDIR are not sanitized before spawning shell processes. Unix shells read configuration files from paths specified by these variables during startup, executing any code within them before the actual command runs. By controlling these variables, attackers can point the shell to attacker-controlled directories containing malicious .bash_profile, .bashrc, .zshenv, or similar startup files, effectively bypassing any command allowlist checks that only examine the command string itself.
RemediationAI
Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.2.22 or later, which contains the fix for environment variable sanitization in the system.run function (see patch at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/c2c7114ed39a547ab6276e1e933029b9530ee906 and security advisory at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-xgf2-vxv2-rrmg). Until patching is complete, implement compensating controls such as restricting network access to OpenClaw instances to trusted IP ranges only, limiting user privileges to minimize the pool of potential attackers who meet the PR:L requirement, and if possible, avoiding the system.run function entirely or implementing additional input validation that blocks manipulation of HOME and ZDOTDIR variables. Review logs for suspicious environment variable manipulation attempts targeting shell startup file paths.
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Same weakness CWE-78 – OS Command Injection
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-13958
GHSA-rj39-33v7-9xrq