CVE-2026-32973
Exec Allowlist Bypass in OpenClaw Enables Unauthorized Command Execution
Publication date: 2026-03-29
Last updated on: 2026-03-30
Assigner: VulnCheck
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| openclaw | openclaw | to 2026.3.11 (exc) |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-625 | The product uses a regular expression that does not sufficiently restrict the set of allowed values. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
How does this vulnerability affect compliance with common standards and regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA)?:
The provided information does not specify any direct impact of this vulnerability on compliance with common standards and regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
CVE-2026-32973 is a critical vulnerability in OpenClaw versions before 2026.3.11 involving an exec allowlist bypass. The function matchesExecAllowlistPattern improperly normalizes patterns by lowercasing and using glob matching, which causes overmatching on POSIX paths.
Attackers can exploit the '?' wildcard character to match across path segments, allowing them to execute commands or access paths that operators did not intend to permit.
This flaw is related to CWE-625 (Permissive Regular Expression) and CWE-178 (Improper Handling of Case Sensitivity), resulting in unauthorized command execution due to overpermissive pattern matching in the allowlist mechanism.
The issue was fixed in OpenClaw version 2026.3.11 by correcting the pattern normalization to prevent overmatching.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can allow attackers to bypass the exec allowlist and execute unauthorized commands or access unintended paths on systems running vulnerable OpenClaw versions.
Because the pattern matching overmatches due to improper normalization, attackers can exploit wildcard characters to cross directory boundaries, potentially leading to unauthorized command execution.
Such unauthorized execution can compromise system integrity, lead to privilege escalation, or allow attackers to perform malicious actions that operators intended to block.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate the vulnerability in OpenClaw before version 2026.3.11, you should upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.3.11 or later, where the exec allowlist pattern matching has been corrected to prevent overmatching and unauthorized command execution.
This update fixes the improper normalization of patterns by removing lowercasing and restricting wildcard matching so that it does not cross POSIX path segment boundaries.