CVE-2026-32971: OpenClaw Node-host Approvals Could Show Misleading Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp
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CVSS 7.1
CWE-436 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-32971 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.1) node-host approvals could show misleading vulnerability (CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves node-host approvals could show misleading shell payloads instead of the executed argv. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.11.

CVE-2026-32971 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-32971
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.1
CWE Classification CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.1

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:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-32971

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: 2026.3.11 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.11
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-2026-32971, 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 2026.3.11), 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

## Summary In affected versions of `openclaw`, node-host `system.run` approvals could display only an extracted shell payload such as `jq --version` while execution still ran a different outer wrapper argv such as `./env sh -c 'jq --version'`. ## Impact This is an approval-integrity bug. An attacker who could place or select a local wrapper binary and induce a wrapper-shaped command could get local code executed after the operator approved misleading command text. ## Affected Packages and Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.8` - Fixed in: `2026.3.11` ## Technical Details Wrapper resolution normalized executables by basename and extracted inner shell payload text for approval display, while execution still preserved the full wrapper argv. Approval storage and UI therefore showed text that did not match the exact command OpenClaw would execute. ## Fix OpenClaw now binds approvals to the exact executed argv and keeps extracted shell payload text only as secondary preview data. The fix shipped in `openclaw@2026.3.11`. ## Workarounds Upgrade to `2026.3.11` or later.

CVE-2026-32971 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.11
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.11
2026.3.11

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp
NVD — CVE-2026-32971 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32971
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
OpenClaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.11
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-node-host-approval-ui-mismatch-allows-execution-of-unintended-commands

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-32971?
CVE-2026-32971 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Node-host approvals could show misleading shell payloads instead of the executed argv under CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.11 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-32971?
Upgrading to 2026.3.11 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.11. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.11 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-32971?
CVE-2026-32971 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-32971?
CVE-2026-32971 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 CVE-2026-32971?
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-rw39-5899-8mxp",
  "modified" : "2026-04-06T22:37:28Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-13T15:47:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-32971" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Node-host approvals could show misleading shell payloads instead of the executed argv",
  "details" : "## Summary\nIn affected versions of `openclaw`, node-host `system.run` approvals could display only an extracted shell payload such as `jq --version` while execution still ran a different outer wrapper argv such as `./env sh -c 'jq --version'`.\n\n## Impact\nThis is an approval-integrity bug. An attacker who could place or select a local wrapper binary and induce a wrapper-shaped command could get local code executed after the operator approved misleading command text.\n\n## Affected Packages and Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.8`\n- Fixed in: `2026.3.11`\n\n## Technical Details\nWrapper resolution normalized executables by basename and extracted inner shell payload text for approval display, while execution still preserved the full wrapper argv. Approval storage and UI therefore showed text that did not match the exact command OpenClaw would execute.\n\n## Fix\nOpenClaw now binds approvals to the exact executed argv and keeps extracted shell payload text only as secondary preview data. The fix shipped in `openclaw@2026.3.11`.\n\n## Workarounds\nUpgrade to `2026.3.11` or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-rw39-5899-8mxp"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32971"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.11"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-node-host-approval-ui-mismatch-allows-execution-of-unintended-commands"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-436", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-13T15:47:46Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}