Openclaw cli: OpenClaw: strictInlineEval explicit-approval boundary bypassed by approval-timeout fallback on gateway and node exec hosts (CVE-2026-42423)

The vulnerability in openclaw-cli involves the strictInlineEval security boundary designed to require explicit approval for inline eval commands. However, an approval-timeout fallback mechanism on gateway and node exec hosts bypasses this boundary, allowing inline eval commands to execute without explicit approval. This flaw is scoped to the OpenClaw trust model and does not assume a multi-tenant environment. The issue affects openclaw versions <=2026.4.2 and was resolved in version 2026.4.8 with a fix committed to the main branch (commit d7c3210cd6f5fdfdc1beff4c9541673e814354d5).

The bypass of the strictInlineEval explicit-approval boundary can lead to unauthorized execution of inline eval commands, potentially allowing an attacker with local user privileges to execute arbitrary code without the intended explicit approval. This can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The CVSS score is 7.5 (high), reflecting the network attack vector, high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and requiring low privileges but high attack complexity.

A patch is available and should be applied by upgrading openclaw-cli to version 2026.4.8 or later. The fix has been verified with regression tests to ensure the security boundary is enforced correctly. Users should update to the patched version to mitigate this vulnerability.