Summary
OpenClaw has Windows Lobster shell fallback command injection in constrained fallback path
On Windows, the Lobster extension previously retried certain spawn failures (ENOENT/EINVAL) with shell: true for wrapper compatibility. In that fallback path, tool-provided arguments could be interpreted by cmd.exe if fallback was triggered.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Latest published version at triage:
2026.2.17 - Affected range:
>= 2026.1.21 <= 2026.2.17 - Patched version:
2026.2.19(pre-set for next release)
Fix Commit(s)
ba7be018da354ea9f803ed356d20464df0437916
Severity Context
This issue requires Windows plus fallback-triggering conditions, and argument control through a local operator-defined workflow.
OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
Impact
Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
The Windows shell fallback was removed. Wrapper compatibility is preserved by resolving .cmd/.bat shims to a concrete Node entrypoint (or executable) and executing with explicit argv (no shell). If a safe entrypoint cannot be resolved, execution now fails closed with a guided error.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-31995? CVE-2026-31995 is a medium-severity OS command injection vulnerability in openclaw (npm), affecting versions >= 2026.1.21, <= 2026.2.17. It is fixed in 2026.2.19. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
- Which versions of openclaw are affected by CVE-2026-31995? openclaw (npm) versions >= 2026.1.21, <= 2026.2.17 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-31995? Yes. CVE-2026-31995 is fixed in 2026.2.19. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-31995 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-31995 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-31995 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-31995? Upgrade
openclawto 2026.2.19 or later.