CVE-2026-42423
OpenClaw < 2026.4.8 - strictInlineEval Approval Boundary Bypass via Approval-Timeout Fallback
OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains an approval-timeout fallback mechanism that bypasses strictInlineEval explicit-approval requirements on gateway and node exec hosts. Attackers can exploit this timeout fallback to execute inline eval commands that should require explicit user approval, circumventing the intended security boundary.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
OpenClaw < 2026.4.8 - strictInlineEval Approval Boundary Bypass via Approval-Timeout Fallback
OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains an approval-timeout fallback mechanism that bypasses strictInlineEval explicit-approval requirements on gateway and node exec hosts. Attackers can exploit this timeout fallback to execute inline eval commands that should require explicit user approval, circumventing the intended security boundary.
- Record
CVE-2026-42423- CVSS 4.0
- 7.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-636
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-26126
OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains an approval-timeout fallback mechanism that bypasses strictInlineEval explicit-approval requirements on gateway and node exec hosts. Attackers can exploit this timeout fallback to execute inline eval commands that should require explicit user approval, circumventing the intended security boundary.
- Record
EUVD-2026-26126- CVSS 4.0
- 7.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-q2gc-xjqw-qp89
OpenClaw: strictInlineEval explicit-approval boundary bypassed by approval-timeout fallback on gateway and node exec hosts
Impact
strictInlineEval explicit-approval boundary bypassed by approval-timeout fallback on gateway and node exec hosts.
The approval-timeout fallback could allow inline eval commands that strictInlineEval was meant to require explicit approval for.
OpenClaw is a user-controlled local assistant. This advisory is scoped to the OpenClaw trust model and does not assume a multi-tenant service boundary.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Affected versions:
<=2026.4.2 - Patched versions:
2026.4.8
Fix
The issue was fixed on main and is available in the patched npm version listed above. The verified fixed tree is commit d7c3210cd6f5fdfdc1beff4c9541673e814354d5.
Verification
The fix was re-checked against main before publication, including targeted regression tests for the affected security boundary.
Credits
Thanks @zsxsoft and @KeenSecurityLab for reporting.
- Record
GHSA-q2gc-xjqw-qp89- CVSS 4.0
- 5.9 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-20, CWE-636
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains an approval-timeout fallback mechanism that bypasses strictInlineEval explicit-approval requirements on gateway and node exec hosts. Attackers can exploit this timeout fallback to execute inline eval commands that should require explicit user approval, circumventing the intended security boundary.
- Record
CVE-2026-42423- CVSS 4.0
- 7.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-636
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
OpenClaw < 2026.4.8 - strictInlineEval Approval Boundary Bypass via Approval-Timeout Fallback
OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains an approval-timeout fallback mechanism that bypasses strictInlineEval explicit-approval requirements on gateway and node exec hosts. Attackers can exploit this timeout fallback to execute inline eval commands that should require explicit user approval, circumventing the intended security boundary.
- Record
CVE-2026-42423- CVSS 4.0
- 7.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-636
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-q2gc-xjqw-qp89
OpenClaw: strictInlineEval explicit-approval boundary bypassed by approval-timeout fallback on gateway and node exec hosts
Impact
strictInlineEval explicit-approval boundary bypassed by approval-timeout fallback on gateway and node exec hosts.
The approval-timeout fallback could allow inline eval commands that strictInlineEval was meant to require explicit approval for.
OpenClaw is a user-controlled local assistant. This advisory is scoped to the OpenClaw trust model and does not assume a multi-tenant service boundary.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Affected versions:
<=2026.4.2 - Patched versions:
2026.4.8
Fix
The issue was fixed on main and is available in the patched npm version listed above. The verified fixed tree is commit d7c3210cd6f5fdfdc1beff4c9541673e814354d5.
Verification
The fix was re-checked against main before publication, including targeted regression tests for the affected security boundary.
Credits
Thanks @zsxsoft and @KeenSecurityLab for reporting.
- Record
GHSA-q2gc-xjqw-qp89- CVSS 4.0
- 5.9 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-20, CWE-636
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
openclawnpm |
before 2026.4.8 | 2026.4.8 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-42423 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.7) in Openclaw, published April 9, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.32%, the 24th percentile. Fixed in openclaw 2026.4.8.
References
github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-q2gc-xjqw-qp89
vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-strictinlineeval-approval-boundary-bypass-via-approval-timeout-fallback
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42423