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CVSS 8.8 · HIGH

CVE-2026-42435

OpenClaw versions from 2026.2.22 before 2026.4.12 contain an insufficient shell-wrapper detection vulnerability allowing attackers to inject environment variable assignments at the argv level. Attackers can bypass exec preflight handling to manipulate high-risk shell variables like SHELLOPTS and PS4, affecting execution semantics and security controls.

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Analysis

OpenClaw is an open-source game engine reimplementation of an old platformer. While the vulnerability allows for environment variable injection and has a high CVSS score, the project is a niche hobbyist tool with no relevance to web development, backend infrastructure, or enterprise software stacks.

Severity

Score: 8.8(HIGH)
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
AV: NETWORK
AC: LOW
PR: LOW
UI: NONE
S: UNCHANGED
C: HIGH
I: HIGH
A: HIGH
Weakness (CWE): CWE-184

EPSS

Probability of exploitation (next 30 days): 0.0010 (0.1%)
Percentile: 26.3%
EPSS: 2026-05-06

Technical description

OpenClaw versions from 2026.2.22 before 2026.4.12 contain an insufficient shell-wrapper detection vulnerability allowing attackers to inject environment variable assignments at the argv level. Attackers can bypass exec preflight handling to manipulate high-risk shell variables like SHELLOPTS and PS4, affecting execution semantics and security controls.

Published: 5/5/2026, 12:16:17 PM
Last modified: 5/5/2026, 7:47:31 PM

References

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