CVE-2026-22177
OpenClaw's config env vars allowed startup env injection into service runtime
Impact
### Summary OpenClaw allowed dangerous process-control environment variables from `env.vars` (for example `NODE_OPTIONS`, `LD_*`, `DYLD_*`) to flow into gateway service runtime environments, enabling startup-time code execution in the OpenClaw process context. ### Details `collectConfigEnvVars()` accepted unfiltered keys from config and those values were merged into the daemon install environment in `buildGatewayInstallPlan()`. Before the fix, startup-control variables were not blocked in this path. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Latest published affected version: `2026.2.19-2` (published February 19, 2026) - Affected range (structured): `<=2026.2.19-2 || =2026.2.19` - Patched version (pre-set for next release): `>= 2026.2.21` ### Fix Commit(s) - `2cdbadee1f8fcaa93302d7debbfc529e19868ea4` ### Release Process Note `patched_versions` is pre-set to the planned next release (`2026.2.21`). Once that npm release is published, this advisory is ready to publish without further content edits. OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | openclaw | < 2026.2.21 | 2026.2.21 |
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions |
|---|---|---|
| Openclaw | Openclaw | before 2026.2.21 |
Weakness classification
References
- NVD record
- CVE.org record
- GitHub advisory
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/2cdbadee1f8fcaa93302d7debbfc529e19868ea4
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-8fmp-37rc-p5g7
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-w9j9-w4cp-6wgr
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-environment-variable-injection-via-config-env-vars
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-8fmp-37rc-p5g7
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22177