CVE-2026-41294
Published: 21 April 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-41294 is a high-severity External Control of System or Configuration Setting (CWE-15) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception by Search Order Hijacking (T1574.008); ranked at the 2.9th 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 SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) and CM-6 (Configuration Settings).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2026-41294 affects OpenClaw versions before 2026.3.28, enabling environment variable injection due to the application loading a .env file from the current working directory prior to trusted state-dir configuration. This flaw allows override of runtime configuration and security-sensitive environment settings during OpenClaw startup, as documented in the CVE description published on 2026-04-21. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H) and maps to CWE-15 (External Control of System or Configuration Setting).
Attackers with local access can exploit this by placing a malicious .env file in a repository or workspace directory. Exploitation requires low complexity and no privileges but depends on user interaction, such as a user invoking OpenClaw from the compromised directory. Successful injection alters critical environment variables, achieving high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability with a changed scope.
Mitigation details are outlined in advisories at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-8rh7-6779-cjqq and https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-environment-variable-injection-via-cwd-env-file. OpenClaw 2026.3.28 addresses the issue by correcting the .env loading order relative to trusted configuration.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-23998
Vulnerability details
OpenClaw before 2026.3.28 loads the current working directory .env file before trusted state-dir configuration, allowing environment variable injection. Attackers can place a malicious .env file in a repository or workspace to override runtime configuration and security-sensitive environment settings during OpenClaw…
more
startup.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
The vulnerability allows hijacking of configuration loading via malicious .env file placed in CWD (searched before trusted state-dir), directly enabling path interception by search order hijacking to override security-sensitive settings.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
SI-2 requires identification, reporting, and timely correction of system flaws, directly mitigating CVE-2026-41294 by applying the vendor patch that fixes the improper .env loading order.
SI-10 validates the correctness and provenance of information inputs from external sources like the untrusted CWD .env file, preventing malicious environment variable injection.
CM-6 establishes and enforces secure configuration settings for the application, reducing the risk of runtime configuration overrides from untrusted .env files.