CVE-2026-32009
Published: 19 March 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-32009 is a medium-severity Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 5.7 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception by Search Order Hijacking (T1574.008); ranked at the 2.7th 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 are NIST 800-53 AC-6 (Least Privilege) and SC-34 (Non-modifiable Executable Programs).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Least privilege restricts write access to trusted directories like /opt/homebrew/bin and /usr/local/bin, eliminating the prerequisite for placing malicious binaries.
Non-modifiable executable programs prevent execution of replaced or malicious binaries in writable trusted directories by enforcing protection on executables.
Software integrity verification detects unauthorized changes to allowed executables in trusted directories, enabling response to binary hijacking attempts.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Untrusted search path (CWE-426) in allowlisted writable directories enables binary placement for search-order hijacking, resulting in arbitrary execution within the target runtime.
NVD Description
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.24 contain a policy bypass vulnerability in the safeBins allowlist evaluation that trusts static default directories including writable package-manager paths like /opt/homebrew/bin and /usr/local/bin. An attacker with write access to these trusted directories can place a…
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malicious binary with the same name as an allowed executable to achieve arbitrary command execution within the OpenClaw runtime context.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-32009, published on 2026-03-19, is a policy bypass vulnerability in the safeBins allowlist evaluation of OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.24. The flaw occurs because the evaluation trusts static default directories, including writable package-manager paths such as /opt/homebrew/bin and /usr/local/bin. This issue has been mapped to CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path) and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.7 (AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H).
Exploitation requires an attacker to have write access to one of these trusted directories. The attacker can then place a malicious binary with the same name as an allowed executable, resulting in arbitrary command execution within the OpenClaw runtime context.
Advisories and the associated patch commit provide mitigation guidance. OpenClaw users should update to version 2026.2.24 or later, as fixed in GitHub commit b67e600bff696ff2ed9b470826590c0ce6b3bb0a. Additional details are available in the GitHub security advisory at GHSA-5gj7-jf77-q2q2 and the VulnCheck advisory on openclaw-binary-hijacking-via-static-default-trusted-directories-in-safebins.
Details
- CWE(s)