CVE-2026-27566: Openclaw OpenClaw's Exec Allowlist Wrapper Analysis Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jj82-76v6-933r
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CWE-78 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-27566 is a HIGH openclaw's exec allowlist wrapper analysis 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's exec allowlist wrapper analysis did not unwrap env/shell dispatch chains. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.22.

CVE-2026-27566 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-27566
GHSA Identifier GHSA-jj82-76v6-933r
Severity HIGH
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-2026-27566

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: 2026.2.22 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.22
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-2026-27566, 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 2026.2.22), 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 `system.run` exec allowlist analysis treated wrapper binaries as the effective executable and did not fully unwrap `env`/shell-dispatch wrappers. This allowed wrapper-smuggled payloads (for example `env bash -lc ...`) to satisfy an allowlist entry for the wrapper while executing non-allowlisted commands. ### Impact On affected versions, an actor who can trigger `system.run` requests under an allowlist policy could bypass intended allowlist restrictions by routing execution through wrapper binaries. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: `<= 2026.2.21-2` - Patched in next release: `2026.2.22` (pre-set below so publish can happen immediately after npm release) ### Fix Commit(s) - `2b63592be57782c8946e521bc81286933f0f99c7` ### Release Process Note `patched_versions` is pre-set to the planned next release (`>= 2026.2.22`). After npm `2026.2.22` is published, this advisory can be published directly without further metadata edits. OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

CVE-2026-27566 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.22
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.22
2026.2.22

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-jj82-76v6-933r
NVD — CVE-2026-27566 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-27566
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/2b63592be57782c8946e521bc81286933f0f99c7
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-allowlist-bypass-via-wrapper-binary-unwrapping-in-system-run

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-27566?
CVE-2026-27566 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's exec allowlist wrapper analysis did not unwrap env/shell dispatch chains 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 2026.2.22 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-27566?
Upgrading to 2026.2.22 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.22. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.22 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-27566?
CVE-2026-27566 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-2026-27566?
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-jj82-76v6-933r",
  "modified" : "2026-03-20T21:35:56Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-03T23:13:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-27566" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's exec allowlist wrapper analysis did not unwrap env/shell dispatch chains",
  "details" : "### Summary\n`system.run` exec allowlist analysis treated wrapper binaries as the effective executable and did not fully unwrap `env`/shell-dispatch wrappers.\n\nThis allowed wrapper-smuggled payloads (for example `env bash -lc ...`) to satisfy an allowlist entry for the wrapper while executing non-allowlisted commands.\n\n### Impact\nOn affected versions, an actor who can trigger `system.run` requests under an allowlist policy could bypass intended allowlist restrictions by routing execution through wrapper binaries.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected: `<= 2026.2.21-2`\n- Patched in next release: `2026.2.22` (pre-set below so publish can happen immediately after npm release)\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n- `2b63592be57782c8946e521bc81286933f0f99c7`\n\n### Release Process Note\n`patched_versions` is pre-set to the planned next release (`>= 2026.2.22`).\n\nAfter npm `2026.2.22` is published, this advisory can be published directly without further metadata edits.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.22"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-jj82-76v6-933r"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-27566"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/2b63592be57782c8946e521bc81286933f0f99c7"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-allowlist-bypass-via-wrapper-binary-unwrapping-in-system-run"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-03T23:13:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}