OpenClaw versions lower than 2026.2.14 contain a flaw in the Gateway that fails to validate configured hook module paths before passing them to dynamic import(). If an attacker can modify the gateway configuration, they can specify a local module path that the Node.js process will load and execute, resulting in full code execution within the application context. The vulnerability directly exploits the improper handling of unvalidated file paths (CWE‑427) and grants the attacker the same privileges as the running process.

Affected vendors and products include OpenClaw OpenClaw. The issue is present in releases 2026.1.5 through 2026.2.13 inclusive. Any instance of these versions that allows gateway configuration modification—whether through an internal administrative interface or an exposed configuration endpoint—is vulnerable.

The CVSS score of 8.6 classifies the vulnerability as high severity. Although the EPSS score is less than 1 %, indicating that exploitation is currently rare, the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. The likely attack vector is an attacker who can alter gateway configuration, which may be achieved via privileged internal access or, if a configuration interface is publicly reachable, through a remote attack. An attacker would supply a crafted module path that resolves to an unintended local module; the dynamic import() call then loads that module, allowing the attacker to run arbitrary code with the Node.js process’s privileges.