CVE-2026-43531
Openclaw ≤ 2026.4.9
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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-2026-43531 is a high-severity External Control of System or Configuration Setting (CWE-15) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 7.0 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception by PATH Environment Variable (T1574.007); ranked at the 10th 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 AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — 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-2026-43531, published on 2026-05-05, is an environment variable injection vulnerability (CWE-15) affecting OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.4.9. The flaw enables malicious workspace .env files to inject runtime-control variables, influencing critical components such as update sources, gateway URLs, ClawHub resolution, and browser executable paths. This compromises the application's overall behavior. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit the vulnerability by convincing a user to load a workspace containing a crafted .env file, requiring user interaction. Successful exploitation allows injection of environment variables that redirect application functions, such as update mechanisms or network resolutions, leading to high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Mitigation is available via the patch in OpenClaw commit dbfcef319618158fa40b31cdac386ea34c392c0c, which corresponds to version 2026.4.9 and later. Security practitioners should consult the GitHub security advisory at GHSA-7wv4-cc7p-jhxc and the Vulncheck advisory for additional details on remediation and verification steps.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-27273
Vulnerability Data
OpenClaw before 2026.4.9 contains an environment variable injection vulnerability allowing malicious workspace .env files to set runtime-control variables. Attackers can inject variables affecting update sources, gateway URLs, ClawHub resolution, and browser executable paths to compromise application behavior.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 4 hardening rules · 2 OS baselines
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces approved authorizations for logical access to configuration resources so external parties cannot alter them.
Enforces documented access restrictions on all changes to system configuration, directly blocking unauthorized external control of settings.
Limits privileges to the minimum needed, reducing the set of users who can externally modify configuration.
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.
Hardened configuration baselines and change controls directly limit external manipulation of settings.
Formal change and exception management catches externally driven configuration alterations.
Least-privilege access policies reduce unauthorized external modification of configuration values.
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.
Configuration management directly prevents external tampering with system settings.
Access rights assignment determines who may change system settings.
Privileged access rights reduce the number of users who can alter configuration.
Information access restriction limits who can view or modify configuration data.
Change management enforces controlled, authorized modifications to settings.
Access control policies underpin the technical restrictions on configuration changes.