OpenClaw v2026.2.22 and earlier contain an arbitrary code execution vulnerability in the shell‑env component. Attackers can influence the $SHELL environment variable and, via trusted‑prefix fallback logic, run attacker‑controlled binaries stored in writable trusted‑prefix directories like /opt/homebrew/bin, allowing execution in the OpenClaw process context; based on the description, it is inferred that the fallback mechanism can be exploited to launch arbitrary binaries.

The affected product is OpenClaw (vendor OpenClaw). Vulnerable releases include 2026.2.22 and any earlier release before 2026.2.23. The specific affected component is shell‑env and the vulnerability is present only when $SHELL is overridden and the trusted‑prefix directory is writable; this detail is inferred from the description.

The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.8, indicating moderate severity. The EPSS score indicates a very low but non‑zero likelihood of exploitation (<1%), and the vulnerability is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Attackers would need the ability to set the $SHELL environment variable and write to a trusted‑prefix directory, which is typically achievable by a local user with write access to that directory. Given these prerequisites, exploitation is possible in a local or compromised‑environment scenario, but would not be feasible over a standard network unless the attacker can place files on such a directory remotely; the likely attack vector is local, inferred from the description.