OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.21 allow dangerous process‑control environment variables to go through the configuration file env.vars without filtering. Attackers can inject variables such as NODE_OPTIONS or LD_* prefixes, which are processed by the Node.js runtime, thereby enabling arbitrary code execution at gateway service startup. The weakness is classified as CWE‑15 (Improper Control of Resource or Link).

The affected product is OpenClaw:OpenClaw, all releases with a version number less than 2026.2.21. The vulnerability is triggered when an attacker can write to the env.vars configuration file, which is typically part of the OpenClaw gateway service running on Node.js.

The CVSS base score of 6.9 indicates a medium severity vulnerability. EPSS data is not available and the issue is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog. Because exploitation requires write access to the env.vars file, the attack vector is inferred to be local or low‑privilege setting, but successful exploitation would allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code within the gateway service’s process context, giving full control over the service.