CVE-2026-22168
Openclaw ≤ 2026.2.21
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XSummary
CVE-2026-22168 is a high-severity Argument Injection (CWE-88) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked at the 34th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-22168 is an approval-integrity mismatch vulnerability in the system.run component of OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.21. This issue affects trusted Windows nodes, where authenticated operators can execute arbitrary trailing arguments appended after "cmd.exe /c" while the approval text displays only a benign command. Classified under CWE-88 (Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')), it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N) and was published on 2026-03-18.
Authenticated operators with low privileges (PR:L) can exploit this vulnerability over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L) and no user interaction (UI:N). Exploitation smuggles malicious arguments through "cmd.exe /c," enabling arbitrary local command execution on affected Windows nodes and producing mismatched audit logs that fail to capture the true commands run, potentially exposing sensitive data due to the high confidentiality impact (C:H).
Advisories recommend mitigation by upgrading to OpenClaw version 2026.2.21 or later. Relevant details are provided in the patching commit at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/6007941f04df1edcca679dd6c95949744fdbd4df, the GitHub security advisory at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-5v6x-rfc3-7qfr, and the Vulncheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-command-injection-via-cmd-exe-c-trailing-arguments-in-system-run.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-12708
Vulnerability Data
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.21 contain an approval-integrity mismatch vulnerability in system.run that allows authenticated operators to execute arbitrary trailing arguments after cmd.exe /c while approval text reflects only a benign command. Attackers can smuggle malicious arguments through cmd.exe /c…
more
to achieve local command execution on trusted Windows nodes with mismatched audit logs.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.2.5
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing can discover argument-injection flaws in command-construction code but does not stop their introduction.
Input validation directly stops construction of command strings containing unneutralized delimiters or injected arguments.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly require proper input validation and command construction to prevent argument injection.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect argument injection but does not prevent it at the source.
Secure development lifecycle mandates input validation and command construction practices that directly prevent argument injection.
Application security requirements include explicit rules for safe command-line argument handling and escaping.
Secure architecture principles discourage unsafe command invocation patterns and favor safer APIs.
Secure coding standards explicitly require proper neutralization of command arguments, directly eliminating CWE-88.
Change management can catch unsafe command patterns during reviews but is not a direct mitigation.