Openclaw vulnerabilities

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.25 contain a symlink traversal vulnerability in browser trace and download output path handling that allows local attackers to escape the managed temp root directory. An attacker with local access can create symlinks to route file writes outside the intended temp directory, enabling arbitrary file overwrite on the affected system.

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 contain an authorization mismatch vulnerability that allows authenticated callers with operator.write scope to invoke owner-only tool surfaces including gateway and cron through agent runs in scoped-token deployments. Attackers with write-scope access can perform control-plane actions beyond their intended authorization level by exploiting inconsistent owner-only gating during agent execution.

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 fail to consistently enforce configured inbound media byte limits before buffering remote media across multiple channel ingestion paths. Remote attackers can send oversized media payloads to trigger elevated memory usage and potential process instability.

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.25 contain a time-of-check-time-of-use vulnerability in approval-bound system.run execution where the cwd parameter is validated at approval time but resolved at execution time. Attackers can retarget a symlinked cwd between approval and execution to bypass command execution restrictions and execute arbitrary commands on node hosts.

OpenClaw versions 2026.2.22 prior to 2026.2.25 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing unpaired device identities to bypass operator pairing requirements and self-assign elevated operator scopes including operator.admin. Attackers with valid shared gateway authentication can present a self-signed unpaired device identity to request and obtain higher operator scopes before pairing approval is granted.

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 fail to properly handle authentication bootstrap errors during startup, allowing browser-control routes to remain accessible without authentication. Local processes or loopback-reachable SSRF paths can exploit this to access browser-control routes including evaluate-capable actions without valid credentials.

OpenClaw gateway plugin versions prior to 2026.2.26 contain a path traversal vulnerability that allows remote attackers to bypass route authentication checks by manipulating /api/channels paths with encoded dot-segment traversal sequences. Attackers can craft alternate paths using encoded traversal patterns to access protected plugin channel routes when handlers normalize the incoming path, circumventing security controls.

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.2 fail to pass the senderIsOwner flag when processing Discord voice transcripts in agentCommand, causing the flag to default to true. Non-owner voice participants can exploit this omission to access owner-only tools including gateway and cron functionality in mixed-trust channels.

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.21 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability in the Control UI when allowInsecureAuth is explicitly enabled and the gateway is exposed over plaintext HTTP, allowing attackers to bypass device identity and pairing verification. An attacker with leaked or intercepted credentials can obtain high-privilege Control UI access by exploiting the lack of secure authentication enforcement over unencrypted HTTP connections.

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain an arbitrary shell execution vulnerability in shell environment fallback that trusts the unvalidated SHELL path from the host environment. An attacker with local environment access can inject a malicious SHELL variable to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the OpenClaw process.

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.19 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the stageSandboxMedia function that accepts arbitrary absolute paths when iMessage remote attachment fetching is enabled. An attacker who can tamper with attachment path metadata can disclose files readable by the OpenClaw process on the configured remote host via SCP.