High severity · published May 6, 2026
CVE-2026-44114
OpenClaw < 2026.4.20 - Environment Variable Namespace Collision via Workspace dotenv
7.8
CVSS
0.1%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
OpenClaw before 2026.4.20 fails to properly reserve the OPENCLAW_ runtime-control environment namespace in workspace dotenv files, allowing attackers to override critical runtime variables. Malicious workspaces can set variables like OPENCLAW_GIT_DIR to manipulate trusted OpenClaw runtime behavior during source-update or installer flows.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.1% · higher than 3% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
OP
OpenClaw · OpenClaw
before 2026.4.20 · source: vendor, NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44114
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-44114
Patch
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/018494fa3ebb9145112e68b56fe1cb2e9f9a9ed6
Mitigation
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-hxvm-xjvf-93f3
Third Party Advisory
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-environment-variable-namespace-collision-via-workspace-dotenv
More from OpenClaw
9.9
CVE-2026-41329
OpenClaw < 2026.3.31 - Sandbox Bypass via Heartbeat Context Inheritance and senderIsOwner Escalation
9.9
CVE-2026-33579
OpenClaw < 2026.3.28 - Privilege Escalation via Missing Caller Scope Validation in Device Pair Approval
9.9
CVE-2026-32922
OpenClaw < 2026.3.11 - Privilege Escalation via Unvalidated Scope in device.token.rotate
9.9
CVE-2026-32048
OpenClaw < 2026.3.1 - Sandbox Escape via Cross-Agent sessions_spawn
9.9
CVE-2026-22172
OpenClaw < 2026.3.12 - Scope Elevation in WebSocket Shared-Auth Connections