CVE-2026-35666: Openclaw OpenClaw's System.run Allowlist Can Be Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-706 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-35666 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) openclaw's system.run allowlist can be vulnerability (CWE-706: Use of Incorrectly-Resolved Name or Reference) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw's system.run allowlist can be bypassed through an unregistered time dispatch wrapper. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.22.

CVE-2026-35666 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-35666
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-706: Use of Incorrectly-Resolved Name or Reference
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-35666

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: 2026.3.22 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.22
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-2026-35666, 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 2026.3.22), 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-706: Use of Incorrectly-Resolved Name or Reference, where the product uses a name or reference to access a resource, but the name/reference resolves to a resource that is outside of the intended control sphere. 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 Allow-always exec approvals did not unwrap /usr/bin/time, so an unregistered time wrapper could bypass executable binding and reuse approval state for the inner command. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: < 2026.3.22 - Fixed: >= 2026.3.22 - Latest released tag checked: `v2026.3.23-2` (`630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87`) - Latest published npm version checked: `2026.3.23-2` ## Fix Commit(s) - `39409b6a6dd4239deea682e626bac9ba547bfb14` ## Release Status The fix shipped in `v2026.3.22` and remains present in `v2026.3.23` and `v2026.3.23-2`. ## Code-Level Confirmation - src/infra/dispatch-wrapper-resolution.ts now unwraps /usr/bin/time and binds approvals to the real inner executable. - src/infra/exec-approvals-allow-always.test.ts ships regression coverage for time-wrapper allow-always approval bypasses. OpenClaw thanks @YLChen-007 for reporting.

CVE-2026-35666 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.22
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.22
2026.3.22

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4
NVD — CVE-2026-35666 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35666
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/39409b6a6dd4239deea682e626bac9ba547bfb14
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-allowlist-bypass-via-unregistered-time-dispatch-wrapper

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-35666?
CVE-2026-35666 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's system.run allowlist can be bypassed through an unregistered time dispatch wrapper under CWE-706: Use of Incorrectly-Resolved Name or Reference.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.22 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-35666?
Upgrading to 2026.3.22 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.22. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.22 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-35666?
CVE-2026-35666 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-35666?
CVE-2026-35666 is classified under CWE-706: Use of Incorrectly-Resolved Name or Reference (The product uses a name or reference to access a resource, but the name/reference resolves to a resource that is outside of the intended control sphere.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-35666?
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-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4",
  "modified" : "2026-04-10T19:37:43Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-26T19:08:45Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-35666" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's system.run allowlist can be bypassed through an unregistered time dispatch wrapper",
  "details" : "## Summary\nAllow-always exec approvals did not unwrap /usr/bin/time, so an unregistered time wrapper could bypass executable binding and reuse approval state for the inner command.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected: < 2026.3.22\n- Fixed: >= 2026.3.22\n- Latest released tag checked: `v2026.3.23-2` (`630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87`)\n- Latest published npm version checked: `2026.3.23-2`\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n- `39409b6a6dd4239deea682e626bac9ba547bfb14`\n\n## Release Status\nThe fix shipped in `v2026.3.22` and remains present in `v2026.3.23` and `v2026.3.23-2`.\n\n## Code-Level Confirmation\n- src/infra/dispatch-wrapper-resolution.ts now unwraps /usr/bin/time and binds approvals to the real inner executable.\n- src/infra/exec-approvals-allow-always.test.ts ships regression coverage for time-wrapper allow-always approval bypasses.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @YLChen-007 for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.22"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35666"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/39409b6a6dd4239deea682e626bac9ba547bfb14"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-allowlist-bypass-via-unregistered-time-dispatch-wrapper"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-706", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-26T19:08:45Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-10T17:17:08Z"
  }
}