OpenClaw: Node-host approvals could show misleading shell payloads instead of the executed argv

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

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

EPSS

• CVE-2026-32971: 0.28% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 20.21 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary In affected versions of openclaw, node-host system.run approvals could display only an extracted shell payload such as jq --version while execution still ran a different outer wrapper argv such as ./env sh -c 'jq --version'. Impact This is an approval-integrity bug. An attacker who could place or select a local wrapper binary and induce a wrapper-shaped command could get local code executed after the operator approved misleading command text. Affected Packages and Versions - Package: openclaw (npm) - Affected versions: <= 2026.3.8 - Fixed in: 2026.3.11 Technical Details Wrapper resolution normalized executables by basename and extracted inner shell payload text for approval display, while execution still preserved the full wrapper argv. Approval storage and UI therefore showed text that did not match the exact command OpenClaw would execute. Fix OpenClaw now binds approvals to the exact executed argv and keeps extracted shell payload text only as secondary preview data. The…

Published by the source

13 Mar 2026, 15:47 UTC

Last modified by the source

6 Apr 2026, 22:56 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:47 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-32971

Advisory: OpenClaw: Node-host approvals could show misleading shell payloads instead of the executed argv
IDs: CVE-2026-32971, GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-32971 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:47 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.1)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: openclaw 2026.3.11. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm openclaw: affected < 2026.3.11; fixed in 2026.3.11

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls openclaw --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on openclaw.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp (OSV record GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp lists affected ranges: npm openclaw >=0 <2026.3.11 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp lists affected ranges: npm openclaw >=0 <2026.3.11)

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