CVE-2026-41390: Openclaw OpenClaw Has A Gateway Exec Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6pfc-6m7w-m8fx
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CVSS 7.3
CWE-385
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-41390 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.3) openclaw has a gateway exec vulnerability (CWE-385: Covert Timing Channel) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw has a gateway exec allowlist allow-always bypass via unregistered /usr/bin/script wrapper. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.28.

CVE-2026-41390 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-41390
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6pfc-6m7w-m8fx
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.3
CWE Classification CWE-385: Covert Timing Channel
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.3

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-41390

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: 2026.3.28 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.28
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-2026-41390, 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 2026.3.28), 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-385: Covert Timing Channel, where covert timing channels convey information by modulating some aspect of system behavior over time, so that the program receiving the information can observe system behavior and infer protected information. 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 Allow-always persistence did not unwrap `/usr/bin/script` and similar wrappers to the actual executed target before storing trust decisions. ## Impact A user approval for one wrapped command could persist trust for a wrapper binary that later executed a different underlying program. ## Affected Component `src/infra/dispatch-wrapper-resolution.ts, src/infra/exec-wrapper-resolution.ts` ## Fixed Versions - Affected: `<= 2026.3.24` - Patched: `>= 2026.3.28` - Latest stable `2026.3.28` contains the fix. ## Fix Fixed by commit `83da3cfe31` (`infra: unwrap script wrapper approval targets`).

CVE-2026-41390 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.28
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.28
2026.3.28

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-6pfc-6m7w-m8fx
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/83da3cfe31f016841e1deedda1a604696f4c488d
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
Openclaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.28

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-41390?
CVE-2026-41390 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw has a gateway exec allowlist allow-always bypass via unregistered /usr/bin/script wrapper under CWE-385: Covert Timing Channel.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.28 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-41390?
Upgrading to 2026.3.28 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.28. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.28 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-41390?
CVE-2026-41390 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-41390?
CVE-2026-41390 is classified under CWE-385: Covert Timing Channel (Covert timing channels convey information by modulating some aspect of system behavior over time, so that the program receiving the information can observe system behavior and infer protected information.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-41390?
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-6pfc-6m7w-m8fx",
  "modified" : "2026-04-28T18:19:30Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-31T23:59:53Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-41390" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw has a gateway exec allowlist allow-always bypass via unregistered /usr/bin/script wrapper",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nAllow-always persistence did not unwrap `/usr/bin/script` and similar wrappers to the actual executed target before storing trust decisions.\n\n## Impact\n\nA user approval for one wrapped command could persist trust for a wrapper binary that later executed a different underlying program.\n\n## Affected Component\n\n`src/infra/dispatch-wrapper-resolution.ts, src/infra/exec-wrapper-resolution.ts`\n\n## Fixed Versions\n\n- Affected: `<= 2026.3.24`\n- Patched: `>= 2026.3.28`\n- Latest stable `2026.3.28` contains the fix.\n\n## Fix\n\nFixed by commit `83da3cfe31` (`infra: unwrap script wrapper approval targets`).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.28"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.3.24"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-6pfc-6m7w-m8fx"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/83da3cfe31f016841e1deedda1a604696f4c488d"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.28"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-385" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-31T23:59:53Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}