Affected: Homebrew: openclaw-cli

> Fixed in OpenClaw 2026.3.24, the current shipping release.

### Summary During the installation phase of OpenClaw local plugins/hooks, the Git executable can be hijacked by a project-level .npmrc file, leading to arbitrary code execution during installation.

### Details Please note that the source code locations mentioned below are based on version openclaw-2026.3.13-1, but the issue has been confirmed to still exist in the current latest version, 2026.3.23.

When installing a local plugin directory, local plugin archive, local hook pack directory, or local hook pack archive, OpenClaw first copies the source directory to a temporary `stageDir`, then executes the following in that directory:

``` npm install --omit=dev --silent --ignore-scripts ```

See `src/infra/install-package-dir.ts:176-199`.

Since this process does not strip the project root `.npmrc`, and npm reads the project-level `.npmrc` during local project installation, an attacker could use a `.npmrc` file in a malicious plugin or hook directory to override npm’s `git` executable path. By leveraging a Git dependency, the attacker could trigger npm to call this malicious program, thereby executing arbitrary local code during the installation phase.

**Affected Paths**

- Plugin CLI entry point: `src/cli/plugins-cli.ts:199-255` - Hook CLI entry point: `src/cli/hooks-cli.ts:573-676` - Plugin local directory / archive installation: `src/plugins/install.ts:379-405`, `src/plugins/install.ts:541-565` - Hook local dir…

OpenClaw before 2026.3.24 contains an arbitrary code execution vulnerability in local plugin and hook installation that allows attackers to execute malicious code by crafting a .npmrc file with a git executable override. During npm install execution in the staged package directory, attackers can leverage git dependencies to trigger execution of arbitrary programs specified in the attacker-controlled .npmrc configuration file.

Affected: npm: openclaw

> Fixed in OpenClaw 2026.3.24, the current shipping release.

### Summary During the installation phase of OpenClaw local plugins/hooks, the Git executable can be hijacked by a project-level .npmrc file, leading to arbitrary code execution during installation.

### Details Please note that the source code locations mentioned below are based on version openclaw-2026.3.13-1, but the issue has been confirmed to still exist in the current latest version, 2026.3.23.

When installing a local plugin directory, local plugin archive, local hook pack directory, or local hook pack archive, OpenClaw first copies the source directory to a temporary `stageDir`, then executes the following in that directory:

``` npm install --omit=dev --silent --ignore-scripts ```

See `src/infra/install-package-dir.ts:176-199`.

Since this process does not strip the project root `.npmrc`, and npm reads the project-level `.npmrc` during local project installation, an attacker could use a `.npmrc` file in a malicious plugin or hook directory to override npm’s `git` executable path. By leveraging a Git dependency, the attacker could trigger npm to call this malicious program, thereby executing arbitrary local code during the installation phase.

**Affected Paths**

- Plugin CLI entry point: `src/cli/plugins-cli.ts:199-255` - Hook CLI entry point: `src/cli/hooks-cli.ts:573-676` - Plugin local directory / archive installation: `src/plugins/install.ts:379-405`, `src/plugins/install.ts:541-565` - Hook local dir…

Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in OpenClaw ausnutzen, um Administratorrechte zu erlangen, beliebigen Code auszuführen, Sicherheitsmaßnahmen zu umgehen, Daten offenzulegen oder zu manipulieren oder andere, nicht näher spezifizierte Angriffe durchzuführen.