GHSA-3298-56p6-rpw2: OpenClaw has incomplete Fix for CVE-2026-27486: Unvalidated SIGKILL in `!stop` Chat Command via `shell-utils.ts`
Fixed in OpenClaw 2026.3.24, the current shipping release.Advisory Details**Title**: Incomplete Fix for CVE-2026-27486: Unvalidated SIGKILL in `!stop` Chat Command via `shell-utils.ts`**Description**:SummaryThe `!stop` (and `/bash stop`) chat command kills background bash processes using `SIGKILL` directly, without first sending `SIGTERM` to allow graceful shutdown. This is because `bash-command.ts` imports `killProcessTree()` from `src/agents/shell-utils.ts`, which still contains the pre-CVE-2026-27486 aggressive kill logic, rather than from the patched `src/process/kill-tree.ts`.DetailsCVE-2026-27486 fixed unsafe process termination by introducing a graceful shutdown sequence in `src/process/kill-tree.ts` — sending `SIGTERM` first, waiting a configurable grace period (default 3 seconds), then escalating to `SIGKILL` only if the process is still alive.However, an identical copy of the **unpatched** `killProcessTree` function remains in `src/agents/shell-utils.ts` (lines 170–192). This function sends `SIGKILL` immediately with no `SIGTERM`:The `!stop` chat command handler in `src/auto-reply/reply/bash-command.ts` imports and calls this vulnerable version at line 302:Compare this to the patched version in `src/process/kill-tree.ts`:PoCThis PoC demonstrates the difference between the vulnerable and patched code paths inside a running OpenClaw Gateway container.**Setup:****Exploit (vulnerable `killProcessTree` from `shell-utils.ts`):**The following script is injected into the container and executed. It starts a bash process that traps `SIGTERM` for graceful shutdown, then kills it using the same code path as `!stop`:**Run:**Log of Evidence**Exploit output (SIGKILL only, no graceful shutdown):****Control output (SIGTERM first, graceful shutdown works):**ImpactWhen `!stop` is used, background processes are killed instantly via `SIGKILL` with no chance to perform cleanup. This can result in:**Data corruption**: processes writing to files or databases are interrupted mid-write**Resource leaks**: temporary files, lock files, and network connections are not properly released**Security-sensitive cleanup skipped**: operations like erasing in-memory secrets or completing audit logs are bypassedThis is the same class of impact that CVE-2026-27486 was filed for — the fix simply missed the `shell-utils.ts` copy of the function.Affected products**Ecosystem**: npm**Package name**: openclaw**Affected versions**: <= 2026.3.14**Patched versions**: <None>Severity**Severity**: Medium**Vector string**: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:HWeaknesses**CWE**: CWE-404: Improper Resource Shutdown or ReleaseOccurrences| Permalink | Description |
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| [https://github.com/moltbot/moltbot/blob/f2849c2417/src/agents/shell-utils.ts#L170-L192](https://github.com/moltbot/moltbot/blob/f2849c2417/src/agents/shell-utils.ts#L170-L192) | The vulnerable `killProcessTree` function that sends immediate `SIGKILL` without `SIGTERM`. |
| [https://github.com/moltbot/moltbot/blob/f2849c2417/src/auto-reply/reply/bash-command.ts#L5](https://github.com/moltbot/moltbot/blob/f2849c2417/src/auto-reply/reply/bash-command.ts#L5) | Import statement pulling the vulnerable `killProcessTree` from `shell-utils.ts` instead of the patched `kill-tree.ts`. |
| [https://github.com/moltbot/moltbot/blob/f2849c2417/src/auto-reply/reply/bash-command.ts#L300-L304](https://github.com/moltbot/moltbot/blob/f2849c2417/src/auto-reply/reply/bash-command.ts#L300-L304) | The `!stop` handler calling the vulnerable `killProcessTree(pid)`. |
| [https://github.com/moltbot/moltbot/blob/f2849c2417/src/process/kill-tree.ts#L46-L78](https://github.com/moltbot/moltbot/blob/f2849c2417/src/process/kill-tree.ts#L46-L78) | The **patched** `killProcessTreeUnix` with graceful `SIGTERM` → grace period → `SIGKILL` sequence (for reference). |
CVSS v3.1: 6.1