CVE-2026-32032: Openclaw OpenClaw's Shell Env Fallback Trusts Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-f8mp-vj46-cq8v
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-426 CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-32032 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) openclaw's shell env fallback trusts vulnerability (CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw's shell env fallback trusts unvalidated shell path from host environment. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.22.

CVE-2026-32032 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-32032
GHSA Identifier GHSA-f8mp-vj46-cq8v
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
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-2026-32032

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: 2026.2.22 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.22
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-2026-32032, 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 2026.2.22), 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-426: Untrusted Search Path, where the product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control. 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

The shell environment fallback path could invoke an attacker-controlled shell when `SHELL` was inherited from an untrusted host environment. In affected builds, shell-env loading used `$SHELL -l -c 'env -0'` without validating that `SHELL` points to a trusted executable. In threat-model terms, this requires local environment compromise or untrusted startup environment injection first; it is not a remote pre-auth path. The hardening patch validates `SHELL` as an absolute normalized executable, prefers `/etc/shells`, applies trusted-prefix fallback checks, and falls back safely to `/bin/sh` when validation fails. The dangerous env-var policy now also blocks `SHELL` overrides. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.21-2` - Latest published vulnerable version: `2026.2.21-2` - Patched versions (planned next release): `>= 2026.2.22` ## Fix Commit(s) - `25e89cc86338ef475d26be043aa541dfdb95e52a` ## Release Process Note The advisory pre-sets `patched_versions` to the planned next release (`2026.2.22`). After that npm release is published, maintainers can publish this advisory without further version-field edits. OpenClaw thanks @athuljayaram for reporting.

CVE-2026-32032 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.22
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.22
2026.2.22

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-f8mp-vj46-cq8v
NVD — CVE-2026-32032 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32032
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/25e89cc86338ef475d26be043aa541dfdb95e52a
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-arbitrary-shell-execution-via-unvalidated-shell-environment-variable

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-32032?
CVE-2026-32032 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's shell env fallback trusts unvalidated SHELL path from host environment under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.22 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-32032?
Upgrading to 2026.2.22 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.22. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.22 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-32032?
CVE-2026-32032 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-32032?
CVE-2026-32032 is classified under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path (The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-32032?
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-f8mp-vj46-cq8v",
  "modified" : "2026-03-25T18:44:27Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-03T19:52:45Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-32032" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's shell env fallback trusts unvalidated SHELL path from host environment",
  "details" : "The shell environment fallback path could invoke an attacker-controlled shell when `SHELL` was inherited from an untrusted host environment. In affected builds, shell-env loading used `$SHELL -l -c 'env -0'` without validating that `SHELL` points to a trusted executable.\n\nIn threat-model terms, this requires local environment compromise or untrusted startup environment injection first; it is not a remote pre-auth path. The hardening patch validates `SHELL` as an absolute normalized executable, prefers `/etc/shells`, applies trusted-prefix fallback checks, and falls back safely to `/bin/sh` when validation fails. The dangerous env-var policy now also blocks `SHELL` overrides.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.21-2`\n- Latest published vulnerable version: `2026.2.21-2`\n- Patched versions (planned next release): `>= 2026.2.22`\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n- `25e89cc86338ef475d26be043aa541dfdb95e52a`\n\n## Release Process Note\nThe advisory pre-sets `patched_versions` to the planned next release (`2026.2.22`). After that npm release is published, maintainers can publish this advisory without further version-field edits.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @athuljayaram for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/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" : "2026.2.22"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-f8mp-vj46-cq8v"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32032"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/25e89cc86338ef475d26be043aa541dfdb95e52a"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-arbitrary-shell-execution-via-unvalidated-shell-environment-variable"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-426", "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-03T19:52:45Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-19T22:16:38Z"
  }
}