{"id":"GHSA-mhq8-78pj-5j79","summary":"OpenClaw's POSIX node system.run safe-bin allowlist could be widened by shell expansion","details":"### Summary\n\nOn POSIX nodes, OpenClaw's `system.run` safe-bin checks could approve a command before shell expansion changed how the command was interpreted. A value that appeared to be a safe-bin argument could expand into additional shell words and become a file operand.\n\nThis issue is limited to paired POSIX node execution through `system.run` with safe-bin or allowlist-style auto-approval. It is not an unauthenticated node takeover.\n\n### Affected configurations\n\nThis affects deployments where:\n\n- a POSIX node is paired to the gateway\n- `system.run` is reachable by an authenticated operator or agent flow\n- exec policy uses safe-bin or allowlist-based auto-approval\n- the approved command contains shell-expanded values that can change argv shape\n\n### Impact\n\nA lower-privilege operator flow could cause an approved safe-bin command to read a node-local file that was not intended by the policy. Depending on the local files available to the node process, this could expose OpenClaw configuration data or other node-local information.\n\nThe issue is a policy-enforcement gap in argv validation, not a general statement that every safe-bin command is unsafe.\n\n### Patched Versions\n\nThe first stable patched version is `2026.5.18`.\n\n### Mitigations\n\nUpgrade to `openclaw@2026.5.18` or later. Before upgrading, avoid broad safe-bin auto-approval for commands that can read arbitrary paths, and prefer explicit approval for node commands that touch local files.","aliases":["CVE-2026-53831"],"modified":"2026-08-26T01:18:22.147356646Z","published":"2026-07-02T16:05:38Z","database_specific":{"severity":"HIGH","github_reviewed":true,"github_reviewed_at":"2026-07-02T16:05:38Z","nvd_published_at":null,"cwe_ids":["CWE-200","CWE-284","CWE-367","CWE-78"]},"references":[{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-mhq8-78pj-5j79"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53831"},{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-arbitrary-file-read-via-shell-expansion-in-system-run-safe-bin-allowlist"}],"affected":[{"package":{"name":"openclaw","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/openclaw"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"2026.5.18"}]}],"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/07/GHSA-mhq8-78pj-5j79/GHSA-mhq8-78pj-5j79.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.9.0","severity":[{"type":"CVSS_V3","score":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L"},{"type":"CVSS_V4","score":"CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"}]}