GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47: OpenClaw Windows-compatible Env Override Keys Could Vulnerability

MODERATE
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CWE-178
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47 is a MODERATE windows-compatible env override keys could vulnerability (CWE-178: Improper Handling of Case Sensitivity) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves windows-compatible env override keys could bypass system.run approval binding. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.4.2.

GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47 at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-178: Improper Handling of Case Sensitivity
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47

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: 2026.4.2 
npm install openclaw@2026.4.2
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 GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47, 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 2026.4.2), 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-178: Improper Handling of Case Sensitivity, where the product does not properly account for differences in case sensitivity when accessing or determining the properties of a resource, leading to inconsistent results. 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 Before OpenClaw 2026.4.2, system-run approval binding normalized environment override keys differently from host execution. Windows-compatible keys could be omitted from the approval binding while still being injected at execution time. ## Impact An approved command could run with attacker-chosen environment overrides that were not represented in the approval binding. This created an approval-integrity gap for affected host-exec flows. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.4.1` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.2` - Latest published npm version: `2026.4.1` ## Fix Commit(s) - `7eb094a00d80e9f6bf0e62f2c45d3b88ff67c04d` — align approval binding with execution-time env-key normalization ## Release Process Note The fix is present on `main` and is staged for OpenClaw `2026.4.2`. Publish this advisory after the `2026.4.2` npm release is live. Thanks @iskindar for reporting, and thanks @wsparks-vc for coordination.

GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.4.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.4.2
2026.4.2

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/7eb094a00d80e9f6bf0e62f2c45d3b88ff67c04d
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47?
GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Windows-compatible env override keys could bypass system.run approval binding under CWE-178: Improper Handling of Case Sensitivity.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.4.2 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47?
Upgrading to 2026.4.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.4.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.4.2 or later.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47?
GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47 is classified under CWE-178: Improper Handling of Case Sensitivity (The product does not properly account for differences in case sensitivity when accessing or determining the properties of a resource, leading to inconsistent results.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47?
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-98ch-45wp-ch47",
  "modified" : "2026-04-07T18:15:48Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-07T18:15:48Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Windows-compatible env override keys could bypass system.run approval binding",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nBefore OpenClaw 2026.4.2, system-run approval binding normalized environment override keys differently from host execution. Windows-compatible keys could be omitted from the approval binding while still being injected at execution time.\n\n## Impact\n\nAn approved command could run with attacker-chosen environment overrides that were not represented in the approval binding. This created an approval-integrity gap for affected host-exec flows.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.4.1`\n- Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.2`\n- Latest published npm version: `2026.4.1`\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- `7eb094a00d80e9f6bf0e62f2c45d3b88ff67c04d` — align approval binding with execution-time env-key normalization\n\n## Release Process Note\n\nThe fix is present on `main` and is staged for OpenClaw `2026.4.2`. Publish this advisory after the `2026.4.2` npm release is live.\n\nThanks @iskindar for reporting, and thanks @wsparks-vc for coordination.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.4.2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.4.1"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-98ch-45wp-ch47"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/7eb094a00d80e9f6bf0e62f2c45d3b88ff67c04d"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-178" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-07T18:15:48Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}