dbcve.org
OpenclawApplication

CVE-2026-28391

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2026.2.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.2 fail to properly validate Windows cmd.exe metacharacters in allowlist-gated exec requests (non-default configuration), allowing attackers to bypass command approval restrictions. Remote attackers can craft command strings with shell metacharacters like & or %...% to execute unapproved commands beyond the allowlisted operations.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

OpenClaw versions before 2026.2.2 contain a command allowlist bypass vulnerability in its allowlist-gated execution feature (non-default configuration). The application fails to properly sanitize or block Windows cmd.exe metacharacters (such as & for command chaining or %...% for environment variable expansion) in approved command strings. This allows remote attackers to append or inject arbitrary commands beyond the intended allowlisted operations, achieving unauthenticated remote command execution.

MitigationUpgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.2.2 or later. Until patched, disable the allowlist-gated exec feature if possible, or implement additional input validation at a network/Proxy level to block requests containing cmd.exe metacharacters.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
OpenclawApplication
Affected:< 2026.2.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify OpenClaw installation version
    Run 'openclaw --version' or check the installed package version using your system's package manager (pip, npm, etc.)
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 2026.2.2 (e.g., 2026.1.0, 2025.x.x)
  2. Locate allowlist-gated exec configuration
    Search for configuration files containing 'allowlist' and 'exec' or 'command' settings - check common config directories like /etc/openclaw/, ~/.openclaw/, or the application data folder
    Affected if An allowlist-gated command execution feature is configured and enabled in a non-default setup
  3. Verify cmd.exe metacharacter validation
    Review the source code or binary for the command execution module to see if it includes validation logic for shell metacharacters (&, |, %, &&) - look for string filtering or sanitization functions before cmd.exe invocation
    Affected if No metacharacter validation exists in the command execution path, or the validation can be bypassed
  4. Test for metacharacter injection in active allowlist
    If the allowlist feature is in use, inspect all allowlisted commands for the presence of cmd.exe metacharacters in their defined command strings or arguments
    Affected if Any allowlisted command entries contain shell metacharacters (&, |, %, &&) that could be exploited

You are affected if OpenClaw version is below 2026.2.2 AND the allowlist-gated command execution feature is enabled in a non-default configuration, allowing potential cmd.exe metacharacter injection.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2026.2.2 or later
Fixed in 2026.2.2
Vendor patch github.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.2.2 or later. Until patched, disable the allowlist-gated exec feature if possible, or implement additional input validation at a network/Proxy level to block requests containing cmd.exe metacharacters.

Recommended fix High confidence

2026.2.2

  1. 1. Ensure you have a backup of your current OpenClaw installation and configuration
  2. 2. Navigate to your OpenClaw installation directory
  3. 3. Pull the latest changes from the OpenClaw repository or download version 2026.2.2
  4. 4. Review the release notes for version 2026.2.2 to understand the security fix
  5. 5. Deploy the updated version to your environment
  6. 6. Test that command allowlisting functions correctly with the update
  7. 7. Verify that cmd.exe metacharacters (&, %, etc.) are now properly rejected in allowlist-gated requests

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Openclaw Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,464.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-28391 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-28391 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data