CVE-2026-32043: Openclaw OpenClaw's System.run Approval TOCTOU Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mwcg-wfq3-4gjc
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CWE-367 CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-32043 is a MODERATE openclaw's system.run approval toctou vulnerability (CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw's system.run approval toctou via mutable symlink cwd target on node host. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.25.

CVE-2026-32043 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-32043
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mwcg-wfq3-4gjc
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-32043

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: 2026.2.25 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.25
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-2026-32043, 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 2026.2.25), 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-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition, where the product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check. 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 In `openclaw@2026.2.24`, approval-bound `system.run` on node hosts could be influenced by mutable symlink `cwd` targets between approval and execution. ### Details Approval matching on the gateway validated command/argv and binding fields, including `cwd`, as provided text. Node execution later used runtime `cwd` resolution. A symlinked `cwd` could therefore be retargeted after approval and before spawn. OpenClaw's trust model does not treat one shared gateway as a multi-tenant adversarial boundary, but approval integrity is still a security boundary for operator-reviewed command execution. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: `<= 2026.2.24` - Patched: `>= 2026.2.25` ### Fix Commit(s) - `f789f880c934caa8be25b38832f27f90f37903db` ### Remediation The fix adds defense-in-depth hardening for approval-bound node execution: - reject symlink `cwd` paths for approval-bound `system.run` - canonicalize path-like executable argv before spawn - bind CLI approval requests to exact `commandArgv` ### Release Process Note Patched version is pre-set to the release (`2026.2.25`). Advisory published with npm release `2026.2.25`. OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

CVE-2026-32043 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.25
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.25
2026.2.25

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-mwcg-wfq3-4gjc
NVD — CVE-2026-32043 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32043
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/f789f880c934caa8be25b38832f27f90f37903db
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-time-of-check-time-of-use-via-mutable-symlink-in-system-run-cwd-parameter

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-32043?
CVE-2026-32043 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's system.run approval TOCTOU via mutable symlink cwd target on node host under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.25 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-32043?
Upgrading to 2026.2.25 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.25. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.25 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-32043?
CVE-2026-32043 is classified under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition (The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-32043?
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-mwcg-wfq3-4gjc",
  "modified" : "2026-03-30T13:34:50Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-03T19:18:06Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-32043" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's system.run approval TOCTOU via mutable symlink cwd target on node host",
  "details" : "### Summary\nIn `openclaw@2026.2.24`, approval-bound `system.run` on node hosts could be influenced by mutable symlink `cwd` targets between approval and execution.\n\n### Details\nApproval matching on the gateway validated command/argv and binding fields, including `cwd`, as provided text. Node execution later used runtime `cwd` resolution. A symlinked `cwd` could therefore be retargeted after approval and before spawn.\n\nOpenClaw's trust model does not treat one shared gateway as a multi-tenant adversarial boundary, but approval integrity is still a security boundary for operator-reviewed command execution.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected: `<= 2026.2.24`\n- Patched: `>= 2026.2.25` \n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n- `f789f880c934caa8be25b38832f27f90f37903db`\n\n### Remediation\nThe fix adds defense-in-depth hardening for approval-bound node execution:\n- reject symlink `cwd` paths for approval-bound `system.run`\n- canonicalize path-like executable argv before spawn\n- bind CLI approval requests to exact `commandArgv`\n\n### Release Process Note\nPatched version is pre-set to the release (`2026.2.25`). Advisory published with npm release `2026.2.25`.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.25"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.2.24"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-mwcg-wfq3-4gjc"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32043"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/f789f880c934caa8be25b38832f27f90f37903db"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-time-of-check-time-of-use-via-mutable-symlink-in-system-run-cwd-parameter"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-367", "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-03T19:18:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}