CVE-2026-22176
highpriority · track · 31EPSS 0.007 · 51 %ileDEEURUUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-27
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.19 contain a command injection vulnerability in Windows Scheduled Task script generation where environment variables are written to gateway.cmd using unquoted set KEY=VALUE assignments, allowing shell metacharacters to break out of assignment context. Attackers can inject arbitrary commands through environment variable values containing metacharacters like &, |, ^, %, or ! to achieve command execution when the scheduled task script is generated and executed.
cvss
Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.
base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode⚠ sources disagree · medium–high · 4.4–7.8
ssvc
A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.
weaknesses
The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.
affected products (6)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
advisories (2)
Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.
- WID-SEC-W-2026-0586OpenClaw: Mehrere SchwachstellenDeutsch2026-03-03csaf · cert_bundDE
Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in OpenClaw ausnutzen, um beliebigen Code auszuführen, sich erhöhte Berechtigungen zu verschaffen, Daten zu manipulieren, einen Denial-of-Service-Zustand herbeizuführen, Sicherheitsmaßnahmen zu umgehen, vertrauliche Informationen offenzulegen oder andere nicht näher spezifizierte Angriffe durchzuführen.
- GHSA-pj5x-38rw-6fphOpenClaw has a Command Injection via unescaped environment assignments in Windows Scheduled Task script generation2026-03-03ghsa · osvUS
### Summary A command injection vulnerability existed in Windows Scheduled Task script generation for OpenClaw. Environment values were written into `gateway.cmd` using unquoted `set KEY=VALUE`, which allowed Windows shell metacharacters in config-provided environment variables to break out of assignment context. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.17` - Patched version: `>= 2026.2.19` - Latest published vulnerable version at review time (2026-02-19): `2026.2.17` ### Practical Risk Context For a single-user, localhost-only setup on a personally controlled machine, practical risk is typically low. This issue becomes materially relevant when configuration or environment values are sourced from less-trusted inputs, for example: - shared/team config templates, - copied config snippets, - setup scripts, automation, or repos that write config, - any workflow where another party can influence env values before `gateway install`/reinstall. In those scenarios, it provides a reliable config-to-command-execution path when the scheduled task script is generated and run. ### Details On Windows, gateway service installation writes a helper batch script and then registers it via Scheduled Task (`schtasks`). Before the fix, env lines were rendered as `set KEY=VALUE` in `src/daemon/schtasks.ts`, so values containing metacharacters (for example `&`, `|`, `^`, `%`, `!`) could alter command behavior in `cmd.exe`. The fix now renders quoted assignments (`set "KEY=VALUE"`) with explicit escaping for cmd metacharacters, updates parser compatibility for quoted assignments, and adds regression tests for metacharacter handling and round-trip parsing. ### Fix Commit(s) - `dafe52e8cf1a041d898cfb304a485fa05e5f58fb` OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
also known as (4)
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sources
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references (10)
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/dafe52e8cf1a041d898cfb304a485fa05e5f58fbcnnvd
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releasesPatchcnnvd
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-pj5x-38rw-6fphcnnvd
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-command-injection-via-unescaped-environment-variables-in-windows-scheduled-taskcnnvd
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/dafe52e8cf1a041d898cfb304a485fa05e5f58fbenisa_euvd
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-pj5x-38rw-6fphenisa_euvd
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-command-injection-via-unescaped-environment-variables-in-windows-scheduled-taskenisa_euvd
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/dafe52e8cf1a041d898cfb304a485fa05e5f58fbPatchnvd
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