Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
OpenClaw versions before 2026.3.13 contain a critical flaw in how it handles iMessage attachments during remote transfers. An attacker can craft an attachment path that tricks the software into running arbitrary commands on connected remote systems, potentially taking them over. If your organization uses OpenClaw with remote attachment staging enabled, treat this as urgent and update immediately.
Executive priority
Treat as urgent. This is an unauthenticated, network-exploitable command injection (CVSS 9.8) with a vendor patch available. If OpenClaw is in use with remote attachment staging, schedule an emergency change to upgrade to 2026.3.13 or disable the affected feature; otherwise confirm non-use and document.
Technical view
OpenClaw prior to 2026.3.13 passes unsanitized remote attachment paths containing shell metacharacters directly to the SCP remote operand during iMessage attachment staging (CWE-78, OS Command Injection). Because SCP interprets the remote operand through a shell, an attacker-supplied path can inject and execute arbitrary commands on configured remote hosts. CVSS 3.1 is 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). A vendor patch is available.
Likely exposure
Exposure applies to OpenClaw deployments before 2026.3.13 that have remote iMessage attachment staging enabled and reachable SCP-configured remote hosts. Systems without remote attachment staging or without configured remote hosts are not exposed to this specific flaw. Network-reachable, unauthenticated exploitation is described in the sources.
Exploitation context
No known active exploitation is cited in the source bundle and the CVE is not listed in CISA KEV. The CVSS vector indicates network attack with no privileges or user interaction required, and a public patch commit and vendor advisory exist, which typically shortens the window before proof-of-concept activity emerges.
Researcher notes
Root cause is CWE-78: unsanitized user-controlled input flowing into the SCP remote operand, which is shell-interpreted on the remote side. Focus validation on the iMessage attachment staging code path and the SCP invocation. Compare pre- and post-patch behavior against commit a54bf71b4c0cbe554a84340b773df37ee8e959de and the VulnCheck and GHSA writeups for scope confirmation. No KEV listing or public exploit is cited in the bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade OpenClaw to 2026.3.13 or later per the vendor advisory (GHSA-g2f6-pwvx-r275).
- If patching is delayed, disable remote iMessage attachment staging until the update is applied.
- Restrict network reachability to OpenClaw instances and its configured SCP remote hosts.
- Rotate SSH keys and credentials used for SCP transfers if compromise is suspected.
- Review logs and remote host activity for unexpected commands or file transfers.
- Track vendor guidance for any additional configuration hardening after upgrade.
Validation and detection
- Inventory OpenClaw installations and confirm versions against the 2026.3.13 fix line.
- Check whether remote attachment staging and SCP remote hosts are configured in each instance.
- Verify the patch commit (a54bf71) is present in deployed builds or that packaged versions include the fix.
- Review SCP and shell audit logs on remote hosts for anomalous command execution around attachment events.
- Confirm network controls limit inbound access to OpenClaw services.
- Re-test after upgrade to confirm attachment staging functions without metacharacter injection.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-78: Command execution behavior lookup
Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-32917 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9VulnCheckCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
9.2CriticalVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-g2f6-pwvx-r275)CVE reference, VulnCheck · vendor-advisory
- Patch CommitCVE reference, VulnCheck · patch
- VulnCheck Advisory: OpenClaw < 2026.3.13 - Remote Command Injection via Unsanitized iMessage Attachment Paths in SCPCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.