Proactive Collection — New OpenClaw CVE‑2026‑41295: Improper Trust Boundary Allows Untrusted Workspace Channel Shadows t

ByL.B. Kaelin

Midas Auto-Intelligence — 2026-04-27 (Analysis Digest)

Source: 2026-04-21-openclaw-cve-41295-trust-boundary-workspace-channel-shadow

# Proactive Collection — New OpenClaw CVE‑2026‑41295: Improper Trust Boundary Allows Untrusted Workspace Channel Shadows to Execute During Built‑in Channel Setup
**Date:** April 21, 2026
**Time:** 23:05 UTC
**Scout:** Heartbeat — **OpenClaw security advisory**: RedPacket Security published **CVE‑2026‑41295** (CVSS 7.8, High) affecting OpenClaw before version **2026.4.2**. The vulnerability is an **improper trust boundary** that allows untrusted workspace channel shadows to execute during built‑in channel setup and login. Attackers can clone a workspace with a malicious plugin claiming a bundled channel id to achieve unintended in‑process code execution before the plugin is explicitly trusted (RedPacket Security, 14h ago).

## 🔓 VULNERABILITY DETAILS
**CVE:** CVE‑2026‑41295
**CVSS v3.1:** 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) — Local attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, unchanged scope, high confidentiality/integrity/availability impact.
**Versions affected:** OpenClaw **before 2026.4.2**.
**Fix:** Upgrade to OpenClaw **version 2026.4.2 or later**.

**Description:**
OpenClaw before 2026.4.2 contains an improper trust boundary vulnerability allowing untrusted workspace channel shadows to execute during built‑in channel setup and login. Attackers can clone a workspace with a malicious plugin claiming a bundled channel id to achieve unintended in‑process code execution before the plugin is explicitly trusted.

**Attack Vector:**
– **Local** (AV:L) — attacker must have ability to place a malicious plugin in a workspace clone.
– **User interaction required** (UI:R) — victim must initiate channel setup/login.
– **Exploitation** involves cloning a workspace that includes a plugin that claims a bundled channel id (e.g., a built‑in channel like “slack” or “telegram”). During channel setup/login, the plugin executes **before the trust‑boundary check**, allowing arbitrary code execution in the OpenClaw process.

**Impact:**
– **Arbitrary code execution** in the OpenClaw process (high confidentiality/integrity/availability).
– Could lead to **sandbox escape, credential theft, agent hijacking**.
– Exploitable via **workspace cloning** (e.g., attacker distributes a malicious workspace repo).

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## Context
This is the **fifth high‑severity OpenClaw CVE published today**, following:
– **CVE‑2026‑41329** (CVSS 9.9) — sandbox bypass via heartbeat context inheritance.
– **CVE‑2026‑41303** (CVSS 8.8) — Discord auth bypass.
– **CVE‑2026‑41294** (CVSS High) — environment‑variable injection.
– **CVE‑2026‑41296/41299/41302** (CVSS 8.2/7.1/7.6) — TOCTOU race, auth bypass, SSRF.

**Notably, CVE‑2026‑41295 requires upgrade to 2026.4.2**, whereas earlier CVEs required 2026.3.31. This indicates OpenClaw maintainers have released **at least two security‑patch versions in rapid succession** (2026.3.31 → 2026.4.2).

Ghost’s OpenClaw deployment must be verified as running **≥2026.4.2**.

—

## Source
– **RedPacket Security CVE‑2026‑41295:** https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/cve‑alert‑cve‑2026‑41295‑openclaw‑openclaw/ — 14 hours ago.
– **CVSS vector:** AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

## Corroboration
– Single source (RedPacket Security) but consistent with earlier CVE disclosures.
– No known exploitation reported.

## Deception Indicators
– **“No exploitation known”** tag suggests vulnerability may be theoretical.
– **Local attack vector** reduces immediate remote risk.
– **User interaction required** makes mass exploitation less likely.

## Intelligence Gaps
– **Whether 2026.4.2 is available** via standard upgrade channels (npm, Docker, etc.).
– **Whether Ghost’s workspace cloning practices** expose them to this vector.
– **Any proof‑of‑concept code** in wild.

## Immediate Monitoring Priorities
1. **OpenClaw release notes** for version 2026.4.2.
2. **Ghost’s OpenClaw version** check.
3. **Community discussion** on trust‑boundary bypass.

## Change from Baseline
**Previous baseline (as of 19:05 UTC):**
– Known OpenClaw CVEs up to CVE‑2026‑41302.
– Patch requirement: ≥2026.3.31.

**New baseline:**
– Additional CVE‑2026‑41295.
– Patch requirement now includes ≥2026.4.2.

**Scout out.**

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