GHSA-j425-whc4-4jgc json
OpenClaw's `system.run` env override filtering allowed dangerous helper-command pivots
published 8mo ago modified 8mo ago
- cvss
- 6.3
- version 3.1, GitHub
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- —
- no score, EPSS covers CVEs only
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
Summary
### Summary `system.run` env override sanitization allowed dangerous override-only helper-command pivots to reach subprocesses. A caller who could invoke `system.run` with `env` overrides could bypass allowlist/approval intent by steering an allowlisted tool through helper-command or config-loading environment variables such as `GIT_SSH_COMMAND`, editor/pager hooks, and `GIT_CONFIG_*` / `NPM_CONFIG_*`.
### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Latest published vulnerable version: `2026.3.2` - Affected range: `<= 2026.3.2` - Patched in: `2026.3.7`
### Details Before the fix, `src/infra/host-env-security.ts` blocked only a narrow set of override-only environment variables. Dangerous request-scoped overrides such as `GIT_SSH_COMMAND` and prefix families such as `GIT_CONFIG_*` and `NPM_CONFIG_*` could still survive `sanitizeSystemRunEnvOverrides(...)` / `sanitizeHostExecEnv(...)` and reach the spawned process.
That mattered for `system.run` allowlist and approval flows because approval evaluation was tied to the reviewed binary/argv, while the launched process could still inherit attacker-controlled env overrides that changed helper-command execution or config resolution. For allowlisted tools such as `git`, this allowed behavior outside the reviewed command semantics.
The fix extends the shared TypeScript and macOS policy to block dangerous override-only exact keys and prefixes while preserving trusted inherited base-environment behavior.
### Impact This is a real protection-bypass issue, but exploitation requires an already tool-enabled caller who can invoke `system.run` and supply `env` overrides. In affected deployments, that caller could bypass allowlist/approval intent and trigger helper-command execution or config-loading behavior that is not represented by the approved command line. Maintainer severity is set to medium because the bug still requires that existing execution capability; the vulnerability is the mismatch between reviewed command semantics and the actual spawned-process behavior.
### Fix Commit(s) - `e27bbe4982439da6864160fd1b66445058f74801`
### Release Process Note npm `2026.3.7` was published on March 8, 2026. This advisory is fixed in the released package.
Thanks @tdjackey and @SnailSploit for reporting.
Patch / fix
- npm openclaw 2026.3.7
Is GHSA-j425-whc4-4jgc in your dependencies? Fencer shows which of your repositories are affected as soon as an advisory lands, and opens the fix as a pull request.
Check with FencerCVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub | 3.1 | 6.3 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L |
Affected packages
| ecosystem | package | affected | fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | openclaw | <2026.3.7 |
2026.3.7 |
Classification
References
Sources
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-j425-whc4-4jgc
- Maintainer advisory GHSA-j425-whc4-4jgc
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The maintainers of openclaw/openclaw published their own advisory on GitHub. Reviewed sources take precedence over it.