OpenClaw Windows Scheduled Task script generation allowed local command injection via unsafe cmd argument handling

Summary

OpenClaw Windows Scheduled Task script generation allowed unsafe argument handling in generated gateway.cmd files. In vulnerable versions, cmd metacharacter-only values could be emitted without safe quoting/escaping, which could lead to unintended command execution when the scheduled task runs.

Details

The issue affected Windows daemon startup script generation in src/daemon/schtasks.ts.

Vulnerable behavior included:

• Incomplete cmd argument quoting for metacharacter-only values.
• Incomplete handling of cmd expansion-sensitive characters in script arguments.
• Missing CR/LF guards for script-rendered fields.

The fix hardens Windows script generation by:

• Separating schtasks argument quoting from batch script argument quoting.
• Quoting cmd metacharacter arguments and escaping % / ! expansion cases.
• Rejecting CR/LF in command arguments, task descriptions, and rendered environment assignments.
• Adding regression tests for metacharacter and line-break injection paths.

Impact

This issue is local to Windows deployments and requires control over values that feed service script generation (for example install-time/runtime arguments or environment-derived values). It can result in unintended command execution in the scheduled task context.

Affected Packages / Versions

• Package: openclaw (npm)
• Vulnerable versions: <= 2026.2.17
• Patched version: >= 2026.2.19 (planned next npm release)
• Latest published npm version at update time (2026-02-19): 2026.2.17

Fix Commit(s)

• 280c6b117b2f0e24f398e5219048cd4cc3b82396

OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.