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OpenClaw: Unbound interpreter and runtime commands could bypass node-host approval integrity

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published Mar 12, 2026 in openclaw/openclaw • Updated Mar 13, 2026

Package

npm openclaw (npm)

Affected versions

< 2026.3.11

Patched versions

2026.3.11

Description

Summary

In affected versions of openclaw, node-host system.run approvals could still execute rewritten local code for interpreter and runtime commands when OpenClaw could not bind exactly one concrete local file operand during approval planning.

Impact

Deployments using node-host system.run approval mode could approve a benign local script and then execute different local code if that script changed before execution. This can lead to unintended local code execution as the OpenClaw runtime user.

Affected Packages and Versions

  • Package: openclaw (npm)
  • Affected versions: <= 2026.3.8
  • Fixed in: 2026.3.11

Technical Details

The approval flow treated some interpreter and runtime forms as approval-backed even when it could not honestly bind a single direct local script file. That left residual approval-integrity gaps for runtime forms outside the directly bound file set.

Fix

OpenClaw now fails closed for approval-backed interpreter and runtime commands unless it can bind exactly one concrete local file operand, and it extends best-effort direct-file binding for additional runtime forms. The fix shipped in openclaw@2026.3.11.

Workarounds

Upgrade to 2026.3.11 or later.

References

@steipete steipete published to openclaw/openclaw Mar 12, 2026
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Mar 13, 2026
Reviewed Mar 13, 2026
Last updated Mar 13, 2026

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS score

Weaknesses

Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition

The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

No known CVE

GHSA ID

GHSA-xf99-j42q-5w5p

Source code

Credits

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