📄 Description (English)
OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 contains an environment variable override handling vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass the shared host environment policy through inconsistent sanitization paths. Attackers can supply blocked or malformed override keys that slip through inconsistent validation to execute arbitrary code with unintended environment variables.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
OpenClaw before version 2026.3.22 contains a critical environment variable override vulnerability (CVE-2026-35650) that allows attackers to bypass shared host environment policies through inconsistent sanitization. Attackers can inject malformed override keys to execute arbitrary code with unintended environment variables, posing significant risk to Node.js-based applications. A patch is available and immediate deployment is strongly recommended.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: May 3, 2026 00:50
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability poses significant risk to Saudi organizations utilizing Node.js-based applications, particularly in: (1) Banking and Financial Services (SAMA-regulated entities) - risk to payment processing systems and financial APIs; (2) Government agencies and NCA-regulated entities - potential compromise of administrative systems; (3) Telecommunications sector (STC, Mobily) - risk to network management and billing systems; (4) Energy sector (ARAMCO, SEC) - threat to operational technology interfaces; (5) Healthcare providers - risk to patient data systems and medical records platforms. Multi-tenant and containerized deployments are especially vulnerable.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking and Financial Services
Government and Public Administration
Telecommunications
Energy and Utilities
Healthcare
E-commerce and Retail
Technology and Software Development
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1547.001 - Boot or Logon Initialization Scripts: Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder
T1547.015 - Boot or Logon Initialization Scripts: Login Hook
T1574.007 - Hijack Execution Flow: Path Interception by PATH Environment Variable
T1574.008 - Hijack Execution Flow: Executable Installation Directory Modification
T1059.003 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: Windows Command Shell
T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript/Node.js
T1548.001 - Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism: Setuid and Setgid
T1134.003 - Access Token Manipulation: Make and Impersonate Token
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
7.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all Node.js applications using OpenClaw in your environment
2. Assess deployment architecture for multi-tenant or shared host configurations
3. Review environment variable usage and access controls
PATCHING:
1. Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.3.22 or later immediately
2. Test patches in non-production environments first
3. Implement staged rollout for critical systems
4. Verify patch application with: npm list openclaw
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if immediate patching not possible):
1. Implement strict environment variable validation at application level
2. Use containerization with read-only filesystems where possible
3. Apply principle of least privilege to process execution
4. Restrict environment variable inheritance in child processes
5. Monitor and log all environment variable access attempts
DETECTION:
1. Monitor for suspicious environment variable override attempts in logs
2. Alert on unexpected process spawning with modified environment variables
3. Track changes to NODE_OPTIONS and similar critical variables
4. Implement SIEM rules for malformed environment variable keys
5. Monitor file descriptor access to /proc/[pid]/environ
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع تطبيقات Node.js التي تستخدم OpenClaw في بيئتك
2. تقييم معمارية النشر للتكوينات متعددة المستأجرين أو المضيف المشترك
3. مراجعة استخدام متغيرات البيئة والتحكم في الوصول
التصحيح:
1. ترقية OpenClaw إلى الإصدار 2026.3.22 أو أحدث فوراً
2. اختبار التصحيحات في بيئات غير الإنتاج أولاً
3. تنفيذ نشر مرحلي للأنظمة الحرجة
4. التحقق من تطبيق التصحيح باستخدام: npm list openclaw
الضوابط البديلة (إذا لم يكن التصحيح الفوري ممكناً):
1. تنفيذ التحقق الصارم من متغيرات البيئة على مستوى التطبيق
2. استخدام الحاويات مع أنظمة الملفات للقراءة فقط حيث أمكن
3. تطبيق مبدأ أقل امتياز لتنفيذ العملية
4. تقييد وراثة متغيرات البيئة في العمليات الفرعية
5. مراقبة وتسجيل جميع محاولات الوصول إلى متغيرات البيئة
الكشف:
1. مراقبة محاولات تجاوز متغيرات البيئة المريبة في السجلات
2. التنبيه على توليد العمليات غير المتوقع مع متغيرات البيئة المعدلة
3. تتبع التغييرات على NODE_OPTIONS والمتغيرات الحرجة المماثلة
4. تنفيذ قواعد SIEM لمفاتيح متغيرات البيئة المعيبة
5. مراقبة الوصول إلى واصفات الملفات إلى /proc/[pid]/environ
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 - 5.2.1: Access Control and Authentication
ECC 2024 - 5.3.1: Cryptographic Controls
ECC 2024 - 5.4.1: Audit and Accountability
ECC 2024 - 6.1.1: System and Communications Protection
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF - ID.AM-2: Software Inventory
SAMA CSF - PR.AC-1: Access Control Policy
SAMA CSF - PR.AC-3: Access Enforcement
SAMA CSF - DE.CM-1: System Monitoring
SAMA CSF - RS.MI-2: Incident Response Procedures
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 - A.5.15: Access Control
ISO 27001:2022 - A.5.16: Cryptography
ISO 27001:2022 - A.8.1: User Endpoint Devices
ISO 27001:2022 - A.8.2: Privileged Access Rights
ISO 27001:2022 - A.8.3: Information Access Restriction
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 4.0 - 2.2.4: Configure System Security Parameters
PCI DSS 4.0 - 6.2: Ensure Security Patches are Installed
PCI DSS 4.0 - 10.2: Implement Automated Audit Trails
🔗 References & Sources 4
🔗
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Patch
🔗
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/7abfff756d6c68d17e21d1657bbacbaec86de232
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Patch
🔗
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-39pp-xp36-q6mg
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Vendor Advisory
🔗
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-environment-variable-override-bypass-via-...
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Third Party Advisory
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
openclaw:openclaw