CVE-2026-22175: Openclaw OpenClaw's Exec Allow-always Can Be Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-gwqp-86q6-w47g
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CWE-184
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-22175 is a MODERATE openclaw's exec allow-always can be vulnerability (CWE-184: Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw's exec allow-always can be bypassed via unrecognized multiplexer shell wrappers (busybox/toybox sh -c). Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.23.

CVE-2026-22175 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-22175
GHSA Identifier GHSA-gwqp-86q6-w47g
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-184: Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-22175

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: 2026.2.23 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.23
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-2026-22175, 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 2026.2.23), 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-184: Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs, where the product implements a protection mechanism that relies on a list of inputs (or properties of inputs) that are not allowed by policy or otherwise require other action to neutralize before additional processing takes place, but the list is incomplete. 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 OpenClaw exec approvals could be bypassed in `allowlist` mode when `allow-always` was granted through unrecognized multiplexer shell wrappers (notably `busybox sh -c` and `toybox sh -c`). ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: `<= 2026.2.22-2` - Latest published vulnerable version at triage time: `2026.2.22-2` (checked on February 24, 2026) - Fixed on `main`: yes - Patched release: `2026.2.23` ### Details Wrapper analysis treated `busybox`/`toybox` invocations as non-wrapper commands in this path, so `allow-always` persisted the wrapper binary path instead of the inner executable. That allowed later arbitrary payloads under the same multiplexer wrapper to satisfy the stored allowlist rule. The fix hardens wrapper detection and persistence behavior for these multiplexer shell applets so approvals bind to intended inner executables and fail closed when unwrap safety is uncertain. ### Fix Commit(s) - `a67689a7e3ad494b6637c76235a664322d526f9e` ### Release Process Note `patched_versions` is pre-set to the released version (`2026.2.23`). This advisory now reflects released fix version `2026.2.23`. OpenClaw thanks @jiseoung for reporting.

CVE-2026-22175 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.23
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.23
2026.2.23

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-gwqp-86q6-w47g
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/a67689a7e3ad494b6637c76235a664322d526f9e
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-22175?
CVE-2026-22175 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's exec allow-always can be bypassed via unrecognized multiplexer shell wrappers (busybox/toybox sh -c) under CWE-184: Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.23 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-22175?
Upgrading to 2026.2.23 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.23. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.23 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-22175?
CVE-2026-22175 is classified under CWE-184: Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs (The product implements a protection mechanism that relies on a list of inputs (or properties of inputs) that are not allowed by policy or otherwise require other action to neutralize before additional processing takes place, but the list is incomplete.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-22175?
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-gwqp-86q6-w47g",
  "modified" : "2026-03-18T01:30:11Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-02T22:30:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-22175" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's exec allow-always can be bypassed via unrecognized multiplexer shell wrappers (busybox/toybox sh -c)",
  "details" : "### Summary\nOpenClaw exec approvals could be bypassed in `allowlist` mode when `allow-always` was granted through unrecognized multiplexer shell wrappers (notably `busybox sh -c` and `toybox sh -c`).\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected: `<= 2026.2.22-2`\n- Latest published vulnerable version at triage time: `2026.2.22-2` (checked on February 24, 2026)\n- Fixed on `main`: yes\n- Patched release: `2026.2.23`\n\n### Details\nWrapper analysis treated `busybox`/`toybox` invocations as non-wrapper commands in this path, so `allow-always` persisted the wrapper binary path instead of the inner executable. That allowed later arbitrary payloads under the same multiplexer wrapper to satisfy the stored allowlist rule.\n\nThe fix hardens wrapper detection and persistence behavior for these multiplexer shell applets so approvals bind to intended inner executables and fail closed when unwrap safety is uncertain.\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n- `a67689a7e3ad494b6637c76235a664322d526f9e`\n\n### Release Process Note\n`patched_versions` is pre-set to the released version (`2026.2.23`). This advisory now reflects released fix version `2026.2.23`.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @jiseoung for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/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" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.23"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-gwqp-86q6-w47g"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/a67689a7e3ad494b6637c76235a664322d526f9e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-184" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-02T22:30:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}