CVE-2026-31996: Openclaw OpenClaw SafeBins Stdin-only Bypass Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4685-c5cp-vp95
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CVSS 3.6
CWE-78 CWE-184
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-31996 is a LOW (CVSS 3.6) openclaw safebins stdin-only bypass vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw safebins stdin-only bypass via sort output and recursive grep flags. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.19.

CVE-2026-31996 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-31996
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4685-c5cp-vp95
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 3.6
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 3.6

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-31996

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Openclaw dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

openclaw fixed: 2026.2.19 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.19
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls openclaw

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-31996, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls openclaw

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Openclaw in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2026.2.19), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls openclaw command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Openclaw, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

## Summary `tools.exec.safeBins` could be bypassed for filesystem access when `sort` output flags (`-o` / `--output`) or recursive `grep` flags were allowed through safe-bin execution paths. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.17` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.2.19` - Latest published version at triage time: `2026.2.17` ## Impact In deployments that enabled `tools.exec.safeBins`, an attacker with access to command execution flows could turn intended stdin-only safe-bin usage into file writes (`sort -o`) or recursive file reads (`grep -R`). ## Fix Commit(s) - `2c05cbb43e48ebad03626d3125746fb1b9a8520f` Found using [MCPwner](https://github.com/Pigyon/MCPwner) Thanks @nedlir for reporting.

CVE-2026-31996 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.19
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.19
2026.2.19

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-4685-c5cp-vp95
NVD — CVE-2026-31996 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31996
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/2c05cbb43e48ebad03626d3125746fb1b9a8520f
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-safebins-stdin-only-bypass-via-sort-output-and-recursive-grep-flags

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-31996?
CVE-2026-31996 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw safeBins stdin-only bypass via sort output and recursive grep flags under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.19 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-31996?
Upgrading to 2026.2.19 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.19. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.19 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-31996?
CVE-2026-31996 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 3.6 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-31996?
CVE-2026-31996 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-31996?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls openclaw'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-4685-c5cp-vp95",
  "modified" : "2026-03-19T21:25:18Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-19T22:06:00Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-31996" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw safeBins stdin-only bypass via sort output and recursive grep flags",
  "details" : "## Summary\n`tools.exec.safeBins` could be bypassed for filesystem access when `sort` output flags (`-o` / `--output`) or recursive `grep` flags were allowed through safe-bin execution paths.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.17`\n- Patched versions: `>= 2026.2.19`\n- Latest published version at triage time: `2026.2.17`\n\n## Impact\nIn deployments that enabled `tools.exec.safeBins`, an attacker with access to command execution flows could turn intended stdin-only safe-bin usage into file writes (`sort -o`) or recursive file reads (`grep -R`).\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n- `2c05cbb43e48ebad03626d3125746fb1b9a8520f`\n\nFound using [MCPwner](https://github.com/Pigyon/MCPwner)\n\nThanks @nedlir for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.19"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.2.17"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-4685-c5cp-vp95"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31996"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/2c05cbb43e48ebad03626d3125746fb1b9a8520f"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-safebins-stdin-only-bypass-via-sort-output-and-recursive-grep-flags"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-184", "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-19T22:06:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}