GHSA-f8mp-vj46-cq8v
OpenClaw's shell env fallback trusts unvalidated SHELL path from host environment
Packages
Details
As written in the advisory (Markdown source, shown as plain text).
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.
References
External links from the advisory. They lead to third-party sites.
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-f8mp-vj46-cq8v
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32032
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/25e89cc86338ef475d26be043aa541dfdb95e52a
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-arbitrary-shell-execution-via-unvalidated-shell-environment-variable