Is this vulnerability remotely exploitable?

Yes. If an OpenClaw deployment exposes the allowlist-gated exec functionality over the network, a remote attacker who can send crafted requests to that interface may exploit the flaw, subject to any authentication or access controls in place.

What level of access does an attacker need?

The attacker needs the ability to submit or influence allowlist-gated exec requests. In some deployments this may require valid credentials or specific roles, while in others it may be available to broader user groups or integrated services. The commands ultimately execute with the privileges of the OpenClaw service account on the Windows host.

What is the safest general fix pattern for this issue?

The most robust fix is to stop building shell command strings from user-controlled input. Instead, invoke specific executables directly with validated, strongly typed parameters and avoid `cmd.exe` where possible. Complement this with argument-aware allowlisting and comprehensive rejection of shell metacharacters in any remaining dynamic fields.

Severity:

CRITICAL RISK

(9.8)

OS Command Injection via Incomplete cmd.exe Metacharacter Validation (CWE-78) in OpenClaw Exec Allowlist

CVE-2026-28391

Published:

Mar 5, 2026

Status:

Modified

Summary

Affected Context

Exploit Preconditions

Why This Happens

Potential Impact

General Mitigation Guidance

How Teams Detect Issues Like This

Frequently Asked Questions

Source

NDV

Recent Vulnerabilities

CWE-918

HIGH RISK

HIGH

(8.6)

Server-Side Request Forgery (CWE-918) in OpenClaw Zalo Plugin sendPhoto

Unauthorized Access to Internal Resources via SSRF

May 6, 2026

CWE-863

HIGH RISK

HIGH

(8.8)

Authorization Bypass (CWE-863) in OpenClaw Matrix Room Control Commands

Privilege Escalation via Bypassed Access Control

May 6, 2026

Vulnerability Type

Category:

OS Command Injection

CWE:

CWE-78

Impact:

Remote Code Execution

Severity:

CRITICAL RISK

(9.8)

CVSS Version:

3.1

Vulnerability Type

Category:

OS Command Injection

CWE:

CWE-78

Impact:

Remote Code Execution

Severity:

CRITICAL RISK

(9.8)

CVSS Version:

3.1

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OS Command Injection via Incomplete cmd.exe Metacharacter Validation (CWE-78) in OpenClaw Exec Allowlist

Summary

Affected Context

Exploit Preconditions

Why This Happens

Potential Impact

General Mitigation Guidance

How Teams Detect Issues Like This

Frequently Asked Questions

Source

Recent Vulnerabilities

HIGH RISK

HIGH

(8.6)

Server-Side Request Forgery (CWE-918) in OpenClaw Zalo Plugin sendPhoto

HIGH RISK

HIGH

(8.8)

Authorization Bypass (CWE-863) in OpenClaw Matrix Room Control Commands

Vulnerability Type

Vulnerability Type

Vulnerability Type

Catch This CVE While Code Is Being Written

Ship clean & secure code faster

Ship clean & secure code faster

Ship clean & secure code faster

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