Vulnerability · Published May 6, 2026 · Assigned by VulnCheck
CVE-2026-44115OpenClaw < 2026.4.22 - Shell Expansion Bypass in Unquoted Heredocs via Exec Allowlist
High 8.8
In plain English
A high-severity security flaw in OpenClaw from OpenClaw. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.4% (higher than 38% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Severity (CVSS 3.1)8.8High
Exploit odds (30 days)0.4%top 62.2% of all CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo reportsCISA SSVC: none
Attack toolingNoneno public tooling known
Official description
OpenClaw before 2026.4.22 contains an exec allowlist analysis vulnerability allowing shell expansion hiding in unquoted heredoc bodies. Attackers can bypass allowlist validation by embedding shell expansion tokens in heredoc bodies to execute unapproved commands at runtime.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | openclaw | 2026.4.22 | GHSA-x3h8-jrgh-p8jx |
Affected products (as reported)
Weakness: CWE-184 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-x3h8-jrgh-p8jx) vendor-advisory
- Patch Commit patch
- VulnCheck Advisory: OpenClaw < 2026.4.22 - Shell Expansion Bypass in Unquoted Heredocs via Exec Allowlist third-party-advisory