GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm: OpenClaw System.run Allow-always Persistence Included Shell-commented Vulnerability

MODERATE
Share
CVSS 5.0
CWE-436 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.0) system.run allow-always persistence included shell-commented vulnerability (CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves system.run allow-always persistence included shell-commented payload tails. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.7.

GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.0
CWE Classification CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.0

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
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 Low (A:L)

How to Fix GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm

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: 2026.3.7 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.7
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-9q2p-vc84-2rwm, 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 2026.3.7), 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-436: Interpretation Conflict, where product a handles inputs or steps differently than product b, which causes a to perform incorrect actions based on its perception of b's state. 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

OpenClaw's `system.run` allowlist analysis did not honor POSIX shell comment semantics when deriving `allow-always` persistence entries. A caller in `security=allowlist` mode who received an `allow-always` decision could submit a shell command whose tail was commented out at runtime, for example by using an unquoted `#` before a chained payload. The runtime shell would execute only the pre-comment portion, but allowlist persistence could still analyze and store the non-executed tail as a trusted follow-up command. Latest published npm version: `2026.3.2` Fixed on `main` on March 7, 2026 in `939b18475d734ed75173f59507e3ebbdfe1992b7` by teaching shell tokenization and chain/pipeline analysis to stop at unquoted shell comments, so allow-always persistence now tracks only commands that the shell can actually execute. Normal real chained commands and quoted `#` literals continue to work. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.2` - Patched version: `>= 2026.3.7` ## Fix Commit(s) - `939b18475d734ed75173f59507e3ebbdfe1992b7` ## Release Process Note npm `2026.3.7` was published on March 8, 2026. This advisory is fixed in the released package. Thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.7
2026.3.7

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/939b18475d734ed75173f59507e3ebbdfe1992b7
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
OpenClaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.7

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm?
GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving system.run allow-always persistence included shell-commented payload tails under CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.7 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm?
Upgrading to 2026.3.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.7. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm?
GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.0 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm?
GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm is classified under CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict (Product A handles inputs or steps differently than Product B, which causes A to perform incorrect actions based on its perception of B's state.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm?
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-9q2p-vc84-2rwm",
  "modified" : "2026-03-09T19:54:46Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-09T19:54:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: system.run allow-always persistence included shell-commented payload tails",
  "details" : "OpenClaw's `system.run` allowlist analysis did not honor POSIX shell comment semantics when deriving `allow-always` persistence entries.\n\nA caller in `security=allowlist` mode who received an `allow-always` decision could submit a shell command whose tail was commented out at runtime, for example by using an unquoted `#` before a chained payload. The runtime shell would execute only the pre-comment portion, but allowlist persistence could still analyze and store the non-executed tail as a trusted follow-up command.\n\nLatest published npm version: `2026.3.2`\n\nFixed on `main` on March 7, 2026 in `939b18475d734ed75173f59507e3ebbdfe1992b7` by teaching shell tokenization and chain/pipeline analysis to stop at unquoted shell comments, so allow-always persistence now tracks only commands that the shell can actually execute. Normal real chained commands and quoted `#` literals continue to work.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.2`\n- Patched version: `>= 2026.3.7`\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- `939b18475d734ed75173f59507e3ebbdfe1992b7`\n\n## Release Process Note\n\nnpm `2026.3.7` was published on March 8, 2026. This advisory is fixed in the released package.\n\nThanks @tdjackey for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.7"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.3.2"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-9q2p-vc84-2rwm"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/939b18475d734ed75173f59507e3ebbdfe1992b7"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.7"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-436", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-09T19:54:46Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}