Which versions of Openclaw are affected by CVE-2026-32988?

OpenClaw versions before 2026.3.11 contain a sandbox escape vulnerability allowing authenticated local users to write arbitrary files through a timing-based race condition in file operations.. A patch is available.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-32988?

Within 24 hours: Inventory all OpenClaw deployments and identify systems running versions prior to 2026.3.11; verify authentication access controls for local user accounts. Within 7 days: Implement host-based file integrity monitoring on OpenClaw temporary file directories and restrict local user privileges where operationally feasible; engage vendor for patch timeline. Within 30 days: Apply vendor-released patch to version 2026.3.11 or later across all deployments; validate patch installation and monitor logs for exploitation attempts.

Openclaw CVE-2026-32988

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-32988?

CVE-2026-32988 has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 5.8 (Medium). CVSS vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

EUVD-2026-17388 MEDIUM

Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition (CWE-367)

2026-03-31 VulnCheck

GHSA-j69p-564m-x3gh

Authentication Bypass Openclaw

5.8

CVSS 4.0 · NVD

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY

5.8 MEDIUM

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

High

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Lifecycle Timeline

Patch available

Apr 16, 2026 - 05:29 EUVD

2026.3.11

EUVD ID Assigned

Mar 31, 2026 - 11:45 euvd

EUVD-2026-17388

Analysis Generated

Mar 31, 2026 - 11:45 vuln.today

CVE Published

Mar 31, 2026 - 11:17 nvd

MEDIUM 5.8

Blast Radius

ecosystem impact

† from your stack dependencies † transitive graph · vuln.today resolves 4-path depth

3 npm packages depend on openclaw (3 direct, 0 indirect)

Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 2026.3.11.

DescriptionCVE.org

OpenClaw before 2026.3.11 contains a sandbox boundary bypass vulnerability in fs-bridge staged writes where temporary file creation and population are not pinned to a verified parent directory. Attackers can exploit a race condition in parent-path alias changes to write attacker-controlled bytes outside the intended validated path before the final guarded replace step executes.

AnalysisAI

Sandbox escape in OpenClaw (before version 2026.3.11) allows local authenticated users to write arbitrary files outside validated directories via a TOCTOU race condition during staged file writes. The fs-bridge component fails to anchor temporary file operations to verified parent directories, enabling attackers to manipulate path aliases between validation and execution phases. CVSS 7.5 (High) reflects the local attack vector with high complexity, but scope change (S:C) indicates potential container/sandbox breakout. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, though the race condition vulnerability class (CWE-367) is well-understood by attackers.

Technical ContextAI

This vulnerability affects the fs-bridge component in OpenClaw, a sandbox-oriented filesystem abstraction layer. The flaw is rooted in CWE-367 (Time-of-Check Time-of-Use race condition) where the software validates a parent directory path, then creates and populates temporary files without maintaining a file descriptor lock or canonical path anchor to the verified location. Between validation and the final atomic replace operation, an attacker with local filesystem access can manipulate symbolic links, mount points, or directory renames to redirect the temporary file write to an arbitrary location outside the sandbox boundary. The CPE identifier cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw indicates this affects the core OpenClaw application framework. Staged writes are common in sandboxed environments to ensure atomic updates, but without proper TOCTOU protections (such as openat() with O_NOFOLLOW or maintaining open directory file descriptors throughout the operation), the gap between check and use becomes exploitable.

RemediationAI

Upgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.3.11 or later, which addresses the race condition by implementing proper parent directory anchoring during temporary file operations. The vendor has released patches available through the official GitHub repository. Consult the security advisory at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-mj4p-rc52-m843 for upgrade instructions and release notes. As a temporary mitigation for systems unable to immediately upgrade, implement additional filesystem-level controls such as restricting write permissions in directories accessible to OpenClaw processes, enabling audit logging for filesystem operations outside expected paths, and deploying mandatory access control policies (SELinux/AppArmor) to constrain process capabilities. Note that workarounds do not eliminate the race condition and should only be considered temporary risk reduction measures. Additional technical details are available in the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-sandbox-boundary-bypass-via-unvalidated-temporary-file-creation.