highCVSS 7.1Vulnerability

GHSA-mhq8-78pj-5j79

### Summary On POSIX nodes, OpenClaw's `system.run` safe-bin checks could approve a command before shell expansion changed how the command was interpreted. A value that appeared to be a safe-bin argument could expand into additional shell words and become a file operand. This issue is limited to paired POSIX node execution through `system.run` with safe-bin or allowlist-style auto-approval. It is not an unauthenticated node takeover. ### Affected configurations This affects deployments where: - a POSIX node is paired to the gateway - `system.run` is reachable by an authenticated operator or agent flow - exec policy uses safe-bin or allowlist-based auto-approval - the approved command contains shell-expanded values that can change argv shape ### Impact A lower-privilege operator flow could cause an approved safe-bin command to read a node-local file that was not intended by the policy. Depending on the local files available to the node process, this could expose OpenClaw configuration data or other node-local information. The issue is a policy-enforcement gap in argv validation, not a general statement that every safe-bin command is unsafe. ### Patched Versions The first stable patched version is `2026.5.18`. ### Mitigations Upgrade to `[email protected]` or later. Before upgrading, avoid broad safe-bin auto-approval for commands that can read arbitrary paths, and prefer explicit approval for node commands that touch local files.

Properties

ghsa_id
GHSA-mhq8-78pj-5j79
summary
OpenClaw's POSIX node system.run safe-bin allowlist could be widened by shell expansion
severity
high
cvss_score
7.1
cve_id
GHSA-mhq8-78pj-5j79
cvss_vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
is_ghsa_only
true
ghsa_published
2026-07-02T16:05:38Z
source_url
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-mhq8-78pj-5j79
ghsa_updated
2026-07-02T16:05:39Z

Related Entities (6)

AFFECTS (1)

[Software]npm/openclaw

HAS_WEAKNESS (3)

[Weakness]Improper Access Control
[Weakness]Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
[Weakness]Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

REPORTED_BY (1)

[Source]GitHub Advisory Database

VULNERABLE_TO (1)

[Software]npm/openclaw

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GHSA-mhq8-78pj-5j79 (CVSS 7.1) — Ninja Signal Threat Intelligence | Ninja Signal