CVE-2026-28391: Openclaw OpenClaw's Windows Cmd.exe Parsing May Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-qj77-c3c8-9c3q
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-28391 is a HIGH (CVSS 9.8) openclaw's windows cmd.exe parsing may 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 windows cmd.exe parsing may bypass exec allowlist/approval gating. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.2.

CVE-2026-28391 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-28391
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qj77-c3c8-9c3q
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
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

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-2026-28391

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: 2026.2.2 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.2
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-2026-28391, 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 2026.2.2), 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 On Windows nodes, exec requests were executed via `cmd.exe /d /s /c <rawCommand>`. In allowlist/approval-gated mode, the allowlist analysis did not model Windows `cmd.exe` parsing and metacharacter behavior. A crafted command string could cause `cmd.exe` to interpret additional operations (for example command chaining via `&`, or expansion via `%...%` / `!...!`) beyond what was allowlisted/approved. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: `<= 2026.2.1` - Patched: `>= 2026.2.2` - Latest (npm) as of 2026-02-14: `2026.2.13` ### Details - Default installs: Not affected unless you opt into exec allowlist/approval gating on Windows nodes. - Windows execution uses `cmd.exe` via `src/infra/node-shell.ts`. - The fix hardens Windows allowlist enforcement by: - Passing the platform into allowlist analysis and rejecting Windows shell metacharacters. - Treating `cmd.exe` invocation as not allowlist-safe on Windows. - Avoiding `cmd.exe` entirely in allowlist mode by executing the parsed argv directly when possible. ### Fix Commit(s) - `a7f4a53ce80c98ba1452eb90802d447fca9bf3d6` Thanks @simecek for reporting.

CVE-2026-28391 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.2
2026.2.2

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-qj77-c3c8-9c3q
NVD — CVE-2026-28391 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28391
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/a7f4a53ce80c98ba1452eb90802d447fca9bf3d6
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
Openclaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.2
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-command-injection-via-cmdexe-parsing-bypass-in-allowlist-enforcement

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-28391?
CVE-2026-28391 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's Windows cmd.exe parsing may bypass exec allowlist/approval gating 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 2026.2.2 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-28391?
Upgrading to 2026.2.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-28391?
CVE-2026-28391 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-28391?
CVE-2026-28391 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-2026-28391?
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-qj77-c3c8-9c3q",
  "modified" : "2026-03-10T18:41:42Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-17T16:44:11Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-28391" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's Windows cmd.exe parsing may bypass exec allowlist/approval gating",
  "details" : "### Summary\n\nOn Windows nodes, exec requests were executed via `cmd.exe /d /s /c <rawCommand>`. In allowlist/approval-gated mode, the allowlist analysis did not model Windows `cmd.exe` parsing and metacharacter behavior. A crafted command string could cause `cmd.exe` to interpret additional operations (for example command chaining via `&`, or expansion via `%...%` / `!...!`) beyond what was allowlisted/approved.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected: `<= 2026.2.1`\n- Patched: `>= 2026.2.2`\n- Latest (npm) as of 2026-02-14: `2026.2.13`\n\n### Details\n\n- Default installs: Not affected unless you opt into exec allowlist/approval gating on Windows nodes.\n- Windows execution uses `cmd.exe` via `src/infra/node-shell.ts`.\n- The fix hardens Windows allowlist enforcement by:\n  - Passing the platform into allowlist analysis and rejecting Windows shell metacharacters.\n  - Treating `cmd.exe` invocation as not allowlist-safe on Windows.\n  - Avoiding `cmd.exe` entirely in allowlist mode by executing the parsed argv directly when possible.\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n\n- `a7f4a53ce80c98ba1452eb90802d447fca9bf3d6`\n\nThanks @simecek for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-qj77-c3c8-9c3q"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28391"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/a7f4a53ce80c98ba1452eb90802d447fca9bf3d6"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-command-injection-via-cmdexe-parsing-bypass-in-allowlist-enforcement"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-17T16:44:11Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-05T22:16:15Z"
  }
}