In short
- CVE-2026-31994 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) vulnerability affecting openclaw (openclaw), openclaw.
- Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS): 0.59%, higher than 48.4% of all vulnerabilities.
- Fix: update to 2026.2.19 or later.
| Package | Affected versions | Patched versions |
|---|
| openclaw | < 2026.2.19
| 2026.2.19
|
| openclaw npm | < 2026.2.19
| 2026.2.19
|
Description
Summary
OpenClaw Windows Scheduled Task script generation allowed unsafe argument handling in generated gateway.cmd files. In vulnerable versions, cmd metacharacter-only values could be emitted without safe quoting/escaping, which could lead to unintended command execution when the scheduled task runs.
Details
The issue affected Windows daemon startup script generation in src/daemon/schtasks.ts.
Vulnerable behavior included:
- Incomplete cmd argument quoting for metacharacter-only values.
- Incomplete handling of cmd expansion-sensitive characters in script arguments.
- Missing CR/LF guards for script-rendered fields.
The fix hardens Windows script generation by:
- Separating schtasks argument quoting from batch script argument quoting.
- Quoting cmd metacharacter arguments and escaping
% / ! expansion cases.
- Rejecting CR/LF in command arguments, task descriptions, and rendered environment assignments.
- Adding regression tests for metacharacter and line-break injection paths.
Impact
This issue is local to Windows deployments and requires control over values that feed service script generation (for example install-time/runtime arguments or environment-derived values). It can result in unintended command execution in the scheduled task context.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw (npm)
- Vulnerable versions:
<= 2026.2.17
- Patched version:
>= 2026.2.19 (planned next npm release)
- Latest published npm version at update time (2026-02-19):
2026.2.17
Fix Commit(s)
280c6b117b2f0e24f398e5219048cd4cc3b82396
OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
NVD description
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.19 contain a local command injection vulnerability in Windows scheduled task script generation due to unsafe handling of cmd metacharacters and expansion-sensitive characters in gateway.cmd files. Local attackers with control over service script generation arguments can inject arbitrary commands by providing metacharacter-only values or CR/LF sequences that execute unintended code in the scheduled task context.
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