CVE-2026-42427
OpenClaw < 2026.4.8 - Remote Code Execution via Build Tool Environment Variable Injection
OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains a remote code execution vulnerability caused by missing environment variable denylist entries for HGRCPATH, CARGO_BUILD_RUSTC_WRAPPER, RUSTC_WRAPPER, and MAKEFLAGS. Attackers can inject malicious build tool environment variables to influence host exec commands and achieve arbitrary code execution.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
OpenClaw < 2026.4.8 - Remote Code Execution via Build Tool Environment Variable Injection
OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains a remote code execution vulnerability caused by missing environment variable denylist entries for HGRCPATH, CARGO_BUILD_RUSTC_WRAPPER, RUSTC_WRAPPER, and MAKEFLAGS. Attackers can inject malicious build tool environment variables to influence host exec commands and achieve arbitrary code execution.
- Record
CVE-2026-42427- CVSS 4.0
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-184
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-26129
OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains a remote code execution vulnerability caused by missing environment variable denylist entries for HGRCPATH, CARGO_BUILD_RUSTC_WRAPPER, RUSTC_WRAPPER, and MAKEFLAGS. Attackers can inject malicious build tool environment variables to influence host exec commands and achieve arbitrary code execution.
- Record
EUVD-2026-26129- CVSS 4.0
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-7437-7hg8-frrw
OpenClaw: HGRCPATH, CARGO_BUILD_RUSTC_WRAPPER, RUSTC_WRAPPER, and MAKEFLAGS missing from exec env denylist — RCE via build tool env injection (GHSA-cm8v-2vh9-cxf3 class)
Impact
HGRCPATH, CARGO_BUILD_RUSTC_WRAPPER, RUSTC_WRAPPER, and MAKEFLAGS missing from exec env denylist — RCE via build tool env injection (GHSA-cm8v-2vh9-cxf3 class).
Missing denylist entries allowed hostile build-tool environment variables to influence host exec commands.
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:
< 2026.4.8 - 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 @boy-hack of Tencent zhuque Lab (https://github.com/Tencent/AI-Infra-Guard) for reporting.
- Record
GHSA-7437-7hg8-frrw- CVSS 4.0
- 8.6 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-78, CWE-184
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains a remote code execution vulnerability caused by missing environment variable denylist entries for HGRCPATH, CARGO_BUILD_RUSTC_WRAPPER, RUSTC_WRAPPER, and MAKEFLAGS. Attackers can inject malicious build tool environment variables to influence host exec commands and achieve arbitrary code execution.
- Record
CVE-2026-42427- CVSS 4.0
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/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
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-184
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
OpenClaw < 2026.4.8 - Remote Code Execution via Build Tool Environment Variable Injection
OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains a remote code execution vulnerability caused by missing environment variable denylist entries for HGRCPATH, CARGO_BUILD_RUSTC_WRAPPER, RUSTC_WRAPPER, and MAKEFLAGS. Attackers can inject malicious build tool environment variables to influence host exec commands and achieve arbitrary code execution.
- Record
CVE-2026-42427- CVSS 4.0
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-184
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-7437-7hg8-frrw
OpenClaw: HGRCPATH, CARGO_BUILD_RUSTC_WRAPPER, RUSTC_WRAPPER, and MAKEFLAGS missing from exec env denylist — RCE via build tool env injection (GHSA-cm8v-2vh9-cxf3 class)
Impact
HGRCPATH, CARGO_BUILD_RUSTC_WRAPPER, RUSTC_WRAPPER, and MAKEFLAGS missing from exec env denylist — RCE via build tool env injection (GHSA-cm8v-2vh9-cxf3 class).
Missing denylist entries allowed hostile build-tool environment variables to influence host exec commands.
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:
< 2026.4.8 - 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 @boy-hack of Tencent zhuque Lab (https://github.com/Tencent/AI-Infra-Guard) for reporting.
- Record
GHSA-7437-7hg8-frrw- CVSS 4.0
- 8.6 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-184, CWE-78
- 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-2026-42427 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.8) in Openclaw, published April 9, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.19%, the 8th percentile. Fixed in openclaw 2026.4.8.
References
github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-7437-7hg8-frrw
vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-remote-code-execution-via-build-tool-environment-variable-injection
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42427