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Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-42435

High
CWE-184 — Weakness Type
Published: May 5, 2026  ·  Modified: May 12, 2026  ·  Source: NVD
CVSS v3
8.8
🔗 NVD Official
📄 Description (English)

OpenClaw versions from 2026.2.22 before 2026.4.12 contain an insufficient shell-wrapper detection vulnerability allowing attackers to inject environment variable assignments at the argv level. Attackers can bypass exec preflight handling to manipulate high-risk shell variables like SHELLOPTS and PS4, affecting execution semantics and security controls.

🤖 AI Executive Summary

CVE-2026-42435 is a high-severity vulnerability in OpenClaw (versions 2026.2.22 to 2026.4.12) that allows attackers to inject environment variables at the argv level, bypassing security controls. By manipulating shell variables like SHELLOPTS and PS4, attackers can alter execution semantics and compromise system security. This vulnerability poses significant risk to organizations using OpenClaw for shell command execution and automation, particularly in critical infrastructure environments.

📄 Description (Arabic)

🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: May 8, 2026 17:16
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
Saudi organizations in critical sectors face elevated risk: (1) Government agencies and NCA using OpenClaw for system administration and automation; (2) ARAMCO and energy sector operators relying on OpenClaw for infrastructure management; (3) Banking and SAMA-regulated institutions using OpenClaw in payment processing or security operations; (4) Telecom providers (STC, Mobily) using OpenClaw for network management. The vulnerability enables privilege escalation and unauthorized command execution, potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical systems.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government Banking and Financial Services Energy and Oil & Gas Telecommunications Healthcare Critical Infrastructure
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
Immediate Actions:
1. Identify all systems running OpenClaw versions 2026.2.22 through 2026.4.12 using asset inventory and vulnerability scanning
2. Isolate affected systems from production networks if possible, or implement network segmentation
3. Restrict access to OpenClaw interfaces using network ACLs and firewall rules
4. Monitor for suspicious environment variable injections in logs

Patching Guidance:
1. Upgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.4.12 or later when available
2. Contact OpenClaw vendor for emergency patches or workarounds
3. Implement a phased rollout plan with testing in non-production environments first

Compensating Controls (until patch available):
1. Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all argv inputs to OpenClaw
2. Use security policies to restrict environment variable assignments (e.g., SELinux, AppArmor)
3. Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAF) to filter malicious environment variable patterns
4. Implement command whitelisting to restrict OpenClaw execution to approved commands only
5. Run OpenClaw with minimal privileges using dedicated service accounts
6. Enable comprehensive audit logging for all OpenClaw executions

Detection Rules:
1. Monitor for argv containing environment variable assignments (pattern: VAR=value)
2. Alert on SHELLOPTS or PS4 variable modifications in process execution logs
3. Track failed exec preflight checks and bypass attempts
4. Monitor for unusual shell option changes that could indicate exploitation
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع الأنظمة التي تقوم بتشغيل إصدارات OpenClaw من 2026.2.22 إلى 2026.4.12 باستخدام جرد الأصول والمسح الضعيف
2. عزل الأنظمة المتأثرة عن شبكات الإنتاج إن أمكن، أو تنفيذ تقسيم الشبكة
3. تقييد الوصول إلى واجهات OpenClaw باستخدام قوائم التحكم في الوصول للشبكة وقواعد جدار الحماية
4. مراقبة حقن متغيرات البيئة المريبة في السجلات

إرشادات التصحيح:
1. الترقية إلى إصدار OpenClaw 2026.4.12 أو أحدث عند توفره
2. الاتصال بمورد OpenClaw للحصول على تصحيحات طوارئ أو حلول بديلة
3. تنفيذ خطة طرح متدرجة مع الاختبار في بيئات غير الإنتاج أولاً

عناصر التحكم البديلة (حتى توفر التصحيح):
1. تنفيذ التحقق من صحة المدخلات والتطهير الصارم لجميع مدخلات argv إلى OpenClaw
2. استخدام سياسات الأمان لتقييد تعيينات متغيرات البيئة (مثل SELinux و AppArmor)
3. نشر جدران حماية تطبيقات الويب (WAF) لتصفية أنماط متغيرات البيئة الضارة
4. تنفيذ القائمة البيضاء للأوامر لتقييد تنفيذ OpenClaw على الأوامر المعتمدة فقط
5. تشغيل OpenClaw بامتيازات دنيا باستخدام حسابات خدمة مخصصة
6. تفعيل تسجيل التدقيق الشامل لجميع عمليات تنفيذ OpenClaw

قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة argv التي تحتوي على تعيينات متغيرات البيئة (النمط: VAR=value)
2. تنبيه على تعديلات متغيرات SHELLOPTS أو PS4 في سجلات تنفيذ العملية
3. تتبع فحوصات exec preflight الفاشلة ومحاولات التجاوز
4. مراقبة تغييرات خيارات shell غير العادية التي قد تشير إلى الاستغلال
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.5.1.1 - Information security policies and procedures ECC 2024 A.6.1.1 - Access control and authentication mechanisms ECC 2024 A.8.1.1 - System hardening and secure configuration ECC 2024 A.12.2.1 - Change management and patch management ECC 2024 A.12.6.1 - Logging and monitoring of security events
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-2 - Software and hardware inventory SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access control and authentication SAMA CSF PR.DS-2 - Data security and protection SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - Detection and monitoring SAMA CSF RS.MI-1 - Incident response and mitigation
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.1 - Policies for information security ISO 27001:2022 A.6.1 - Organization of information security ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - Asset management ISO 27001:2022 A.8.3 - Media handling ISO 27001:2022 A.12.6 - Management of technical vulnerabilities
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 2.4 - Secure configuration standards PCI DSS 6.2 - Security patches and updates PCI DSS 10.2 - Logging and monitoring PCI DSS 11.2 - Vulnerability scanning and assessment
📊 CVSS Score
8.8
/ 10.0 — High
📊 CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack VectorN — None / Network
Attack ComplexityL — Low / Local
Privileges RequiredL — Low / Local
User InteractionN — None / Network
ScopeU — Unchanged
ConfidentialityH — High
IntegrityH — High
AvailabilityH — High
📋 Quick Facts
Severity High
CVSS Score8.8
CWECWE-184
EPSS0.10%
Exploit No
Patch ✗ No
Published 2026-05-05
Source Feed nvd
🇸🇦 Saudi Risk Score
8.2
/ 10.0 — Saudi Risk
Priority: HIGH
🏷️ Tags
CWE-184
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