What is CVE-2026-41294?

High-severity (CVSS 8.6) env var injection in OpenClaw where .env files in the CWD override security-sensitive runtime config before trusted state-dir loads.

How to fix CVE-2026-41294 OpenClaw?

Upgrade to OpenClaw v2026.3.28 or later, which fixes the premature .env loading order.

Is CVE-2026-41294 exploitable remotely?

No authentication to OpenClaw is required, but the attacker must be able to place a malicious .env file in the working directory where OpenClaw starts.

OpenClaw .env injection vulnerability details

Versions before 2026.3.28 load env vars from CWD .env file before establishing trusted state-dir config, allowing override of security settings like API keys and permissions.

CVE-2026-41294 CVSS score and severity

CVSS 8.6 (High). Attack vector: local file placement. Impact: override of security-critical environment variables during startup.

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CVE-2026-41294: OpenClaw .env File Injection Overrides Security Config (CVSS 8.6)

Published April 21, 2026. High-severity env var injection: OpenClaw loads .env from CWD before trusted state-dir config, letting attackers override security-sensitive runtime settings. CVSS 8.6. No authentication required to trigger. Fixed in v2026.3.28+. Advisory: GHSA-8fmp-37rc-p5g7.

Product Idea from this Signal

A background service that scans every directory OpenClaw opens for malicious .env files, poisoned configs, and environment variable injection payloads before the agent loads them

CVE-2026-41294 (CVSS 8.6) proved that a single .env file in the wrong directory can override OpenClaw security settings during startup. The attack surface is broad: any git clone, any downloaded project, any shared workspace could contain a weaponized .env. OpenClaw loads env vars from the current working directory before establishing its trusted configuration. This tool runs as a pre-flight scan before OpenClaw starts, checking every .env file in the workspace chain for suspicious overrides, known injection patterns, and variables that should never come from untrusted sources.

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