OpenClaw (npm package openclaw) before 2026.7.1 improperly handles case sensitivity in the model-facing cron tool: a mixed-case payload kind can pass the agent-facing shell-execution guard and later normalize into a command job. An actor able to steer a tool-enabled agent can therefore create a persistent cron job that executes attacker-selected commands with the privileges of the OpenClaw process user, resulting in access to host files and credentials and impact to scheduled service availability. The issue is limited to cron jobs created or edited through the model-facing cron tool; direct CLI and authorized Gateway scheduling surfaces are trusted operator controls. Fixed in 2026.7.1.
Weakness
The product does not properly account for differences in case sensitivity when accessing or determining the properties of a resource, leading to inconsistent results.
Extended Description
Improperly handled case sensitive data can lead to several possible consequences, including:
Potential Mitigations
- Assume all input is malicious. Use an “accept known good” input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
- When performing input validation, consider all potentially relevant properties, including length, type of input, the full range of acceptable values, missing or extra inputs, syntax, consistency across related fields, and conformance to business rules. As an example of business rule logic, “boat” may be syntactically valid because it only contains alphanumeric characters, but it is not valid if the input is only expected to contain colors such as “red” or “blue.”
- Do not rely exclusively on looking for malicious or malformed inputs. This is likely to miss at least one undesirable input, especially if the code’s environment changes. This can give attackers enough room to bypass the intended validation. However, denylists can be useful for detecting potential attacks or determining which inputs are so malformed that they should be rejected outright.