Openclaw cli: OpenClaw's system.run allowlist can be bypassed through an unregistered time dispatch wrapper (CVE-2026-35666)

The OpenClaw CLI's system.run allowlist mechanism failed to unwrap the /usr/bin/time executable, enabling an unregistered time wrapper to bypass executable binding restrictions and reuse the approval state intended for the inner command. This flaw allows unauthorized execution of commands that should have been restricted by the allowlist. The vulnerability affects openclaw versions before 2026.3.22 and was addressed by modifying the dispatch-wrapper-resolution code to unwrap /usr/bin/time and bind approvals to the actual inner executable. Regression tests were added to prevent recurrence.

Successful exploitation allows an attacker with limited privileges to bypass the system.run allowlist restrictions, potentially executing unauthorized commands with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The CVSS score of 8.8 reflects a high severity due to network attack vector, low complexity, no user interaction, and high impact on all security properties.

Upgrade openclaw to version 2026.3.22 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. The fix ensures that /usr/bin/time is properly unwrapped and approvals are correctly bound to the inner executable, preventing bypass of the allowlist. No additional mitigation is required once the update is applied.