CVE-2026-22177
OpenClaw < 2026.2.21 - Environment Variable Injection via Config env.vars
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.21 fail to filter dangerous process-control environment variables from config env.vars, allowing startup-time code execution. Attackers can inject variables like NODE_OPTIONS or LD_* through configuration to execute arbitrary code in the OpenClaw gateway service runtime context.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- Low
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
OpenClaw < 2026.2.21 - Environment Variable Injection via Config env.vars
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.21 fail to filter dangerous process-control environment variables from config env.vars, allowing startup-time code execution. Attackers can inject variables like NODE_OPTIONS or LD_* through configuration to execute arbitrary code in the OpenClaw gateway service runtime context.
- Record
CVE-2026-22177- CVSS 4.0
- 6.9 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 6.1 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-15
- Updated
- 2026-11-08
EUVDEUVD-2026-12720
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.21 fail to filter dangerous process-control environment variables from config env.vars, allowing startup-time code execution. Attackers can inject variables like NODE_OPTIONS or LD_* through configuration to execute arbitrary code in the OpenClaw gateway service runtime context.
- Record
EUVD-2026-12720- CVSS 4.0
- 6.9 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-08
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-8fmp-37rc-p5g7
OpenClaw's config env vars allowed startup env injection into service runtime
Summary
OpenClaw allowed dangerous process-control environment variables from env.vars (for example NODE_OPTIONS, LD_*, DYLD_*) to flow into gateway service runtime environments, enabling startup-time code execution in the OpenClaw process context.
Details
collectConfigEnvVars() accepted unfiltered keys from config and those values were merged into the daemon install environment in buildGatewayInstallPlan(). Before the fix, startup-control variables were not blocked in this path.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Latest published affected version:
2026.2.19-2(published February 19, 2026) - Affected range (structured):
<=2026.2.19-2 || =2026.2.19 - Patched version (pre-set for next release):
>= 2026.2.21
Fix Commit(s)
2cdbadee1f8fcaa93302d7debbfc529e19868ea4
Release Process Note
patched_versions is pre-set to the planned next release (2026.2.21). Once that npm release is published, this advisory is ready to publish without further content edits.
OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
- Record
GHSA-8fmp-37rc-p5g7- CVSS 4.0
- 6.9 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-15
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.21 fail to filter dangerous process-control environment variables from config env.vars, allowing startup-time code execution. Attackers can inject variables like NODE_OPTIONS or LD_* through configuration to execute arbitrary code in the OpenClaw gateway service runtime context.
- Record
CVE-2026-22177- CVSS 4.0
- 6.9 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - CVSS 3.1
- 6.1 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L - CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-15
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
OpenClaw < 2026.2.21 - Environment Variable Injection via Config env.vars
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.21 fail to filter dangerous process-control environment variables from config env.vars, allowing startup-time code execution. Attackers can inject variables like NODE_OPTIONS or LD_* through configuration to execute arbitrary code in the OpenClaw gateway service runtime context.
- Record
CVE-2026-22177- CVSS 4.0
- 6.9 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-15
- Updated
- 2026-11-09
OSVGHSA-8fmp-37rc-p5g7
OpenClaw's config env vars allowed startup env injection into service runtime
Summary
OpenClaw allowed dangerous process-control environment variables from env.vars (for example NODE_OPTIONS, LD_*, DYLD_*) to flow into gateway service runtime environments, enabling startup-time code execution in the OpenClaw process context.
Details
collectConfigEnvVars() accepted unfiltered keys from config and those values were merged into the daemon install environment in buildGatewayInstallPlan(). Before the fix, startup-control variables were not blocked in this path.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Latest published affected version:
2026.2.19-2(published February 19, 2026) - Affected range (structured):
<=2026.2.19-2 || =2026.2.19 - Patched version (pre-set for next release):
>= 2026.2.21
Fix Commit(s)
2cdbadee1f8fcaa93302d7debbfc529e19868ea4
Release Process Note
patched_versions is pre-set to the planned next release (2026.2.21). Once that npm release is published, this advisory is ready to publish without further content edits.
OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
- Record
GHSA-8fmp-37rc-p5g7- CVSS 4.0
- 6.9 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-15
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
openclawnpm |
before 2026.2.21 | 2026.2.21 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| facts | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-22177 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.9) in Openclaw, published March 3, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.39%, the 33rd percentile. Fixed in openclaw 2026.2.21.
References
github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-8fmp-37rc-p5g7
vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-environment-variable-injection-via-config-env-vars
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22177