GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79

On 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.

This 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.

Affected configurations

This affects deployments where:

• a POSIX node is paired to the gateway
• system.run is reachable by an authenticated operator or agent flow
• exec policy uses safe-bin or allowlist-based auto-approval
• the approved command contains shell-expanded values that can change argv shape

Patched Versions

The first stable patched version is 2026.5.18.

Mitigations

Upgrade to [email protected] 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.

A 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.

The issue is a policy-enforcement gap in argv validation, not a general statement that every safe-bin command is unsafe.

Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.

GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2026.5.18); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79? GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79 is a high-severity OS command injection vulnerability in openclaw (npm), affecting versions < 2026.5.18. It is fixed in 2026.5.18. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
2. How severe is GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79? GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of openclaw are affected by GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79? openclaw (npm) versions < 2026.5.18 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79? Yes. GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79 is fixed in 2026.5.18. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79 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
6. What actually determines whether GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79 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.
7. How do I fix GHSA-MHQ8-78PJ-5J79? Upgrade openclaw to 2026.5.18 or later.