OpenClaw: Sandbox staged writes could escape the verified parent directory before commit

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Description

Summary

In affected versions of openclaw, sandbox fs-bridge writes validated the destination before commit, but temporary file creation and population were not pinned to a verified parent directory. A raced parent-path alias change could cause the staged temp file to be created outside the intended writable mount before the final guarded replace step.

Impact

This is a sandbox boundary bypass affecting integrity and availability within the writable mount scope. Attacker-controlled bytes could be written outside the intended validated path before the final guarded step ran.

Affected Packages and Versions

  • Package: openclaw (npm)
  • Affected versions: <= 2026.3.8
  • Fixed in: 2026.3.11

Technical Details

The older staging flow created and wrote the temporary file using target-directory shell path operations before the final replace step revalidated the destination. That meant the last guard protected only the final rename, not the earlier temp-file materialization path.

Fix

OpenClaw now resolves a pinned mount root plus relative parent path, creates the temporary file inside the verified parent directory, and performs the final atomic replace from that pinned directory context. The fix shipped in [email protected].

Workarounds

Upgrade to 2026.3.11 or later.

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
high
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Open repository advisory ↗
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2026-03-13 15:48:16 UTC
Updated
2026-03-13 15:48:17 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2026-03-13 15:48:16 UTC

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
7.5 3.1 —
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

Identifiers

Type Value
GHSA GHSA-mj4p-rc52-m843 ↗

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-59 Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
CWE-367 Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition

Credits

  • tdjackey (reporter)

Affected packages (1)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
npm openclaw < 2026.3.11 2026.3.11 —

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence