OpenClaw before 2026.4.20 contains an improper environment variable validation vulnerability in MCP stdio server configuration that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code.
Date: 2026-05
Affected: openclaw/openclaw
Attack vector: rce
Category: vulnerability-disclosure
Severity: High
CVE: CVE-2026-44995
CWE: CWE-829
CVSS: 7.3 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)

OpenClaw before 2026.4.20 contains an improper environment variable validation vulnerability in MCP stdio server configuration that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code. Malicious workspace configurations can pass dangerous startup variables like NODE_OPTIONS, LD_PRELOAD, or BASH_ENV to spawned MCP server processes, enabling code injection when operators start sessions using those servers.


Mitigations:

Architectural layers (MAESTRO):