CVE-2026-31995: Openclaw OpenClaw Has Windows Lobster Shell Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fg3m-vhrr-8gj6
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CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-31995 is a MODERATE openclaw has windows lobster shell 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 has windows lobster shell fallback command injection in constrained fallback path. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.19.

CVE-2026-31995 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-31995
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fg3m-vhrr-8gj6
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
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

How to Fix CVE-2026-31995

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-2026-31995, 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 On Windows, the Lobster extension previously retried certain spawn failures (`ENOENT`/`EINVAL`) with `shell: true` for wrapper compatibility. In that fallback path, tool-provided arguments could be interpreted by `cmd.exe` if fallback was triggered. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Latest published version at triage: `2026.2.17` - Affected range: `>= 2026.1.21 <= 2026.2.17` - Patched version: `2026.2.19` (pre-set for next release) ### Fix The Windows shell fallback was removed. Wrapper compatibility is preserved by resolving `.cmd`/`.bat` shims to a concrete Node entrypoint (or executable) and executing with explicit argv (no shell). If a safe entrypoint cannot be resolved, execution now fails closed with a guided error. ### Fix Commit(s) - `ba7be018da354ea9f803ed356d20464df0437916` ### Severity Context This issue requires Windows plus fallback-triggering conditions, and argument control through a local operator-defined workflow. OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

CVE-2026-31995 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.19
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
≥ 2026.1.21
< 2026.2.19
2026.2.19

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-fg3m-vhrr-8gj6
NVD — CVE-2026-31995 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31995
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/ba7be018da354ea9f803ed356d20464df0437916
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-command-injection-via-windows-shell-fallback-in-lobster-extension

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-31995?
CVE-2026-31995 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw has Windows Lobster shell fallback command injection in constrained fallback path 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-2026-31995?
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 CWE is associated with CVE-2026-31995?
CVE-2026-31995 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-2026-31995?
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-fg3m-vhrr-8gj6",
  "modified" : "2026-03-19T21:24:43Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-03T23:19:08Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-31995" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw has Windows Lobster shell fallback command injection in constrained fallback path",
  "details" : "### Summary\nOn Windows, the Lobster extension previously retried certain spawn failures (`ENOENT`/`EINVAL`) with `shell: true` for wrapper compatibility. In that fallback path, tool-provided arguments could be interpreted by `cmd.exe` if fallback was triggered.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Latest published version at triage: `2026.2.17`\n- Affected range: `>= 2026.1.21 <= 2026.2.17`\n- Patched version: `2026.2.19` (pre-set for next release)\n\n### Fix\nThe Windows shell fallback was removed. Wrapper compatibility is preserved by resolving `.cmd`/`.bat` shims to a concrete Node entrypoint (or executable) and executing with explicit argv (no shell). If a safe entrypoint cannot be resolved, execution now fails closed with a guided error.\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n- `ba7be018da354ea9f803ed356d20464df0437916`\n\n### Severity Context\nThis issue requires Windows plus fallback-triggering conditions, and argument control through a local operator-defined workflow. \n\nOpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/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" : "2026.1.21"
      }, {
        "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-fg3m-vhrr-8gj6"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31995"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/ba7be018da354ea9f803ed356d20464df0437916"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-command-injection-via-windows-shell-fallback-in-lobster-extension"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-03T23:19:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}