Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessGain local low-priv code execution alongside OpenClaw
-
DeliveryInvoke sandboxed remove/mkdir/rename on mirror path
-
ExploitConcurrently swap path target after safety check
-
ExecutionWin TOCTOU race window
-
PersistOperation mutates host path outside sandbox
-
ImpactEscape confinement, tamper host filesystem
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture TOCTOU prevention
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires local access to a system running OpenClaw and the ability to invoke or influence OpenShell 'local mirror' filesystem mutation operations (remove, mkdir, or rename) - this is the specific feature at risk. The attacker must be able to concurrently change the target path (e.g., swap a file/directory or symlink) during the narrow window between OpenClaw's sandbox path-safety check and the actual operation, i.e., win the TOCTOU race (CVSS AC:H, AT:P). Privileges required are low (PR:L). Critically, exploitation does NOT require the operator to have granted host filesystem access outside the sandbox, so default sandboxed deployments are affected. Limiting factors: local vector only (no network reach), the high-complexity timing race that must be won reliably, and impact bounded by the permissions of the OpenClaw process user. |
| Impact | This is a genuine sandbox-escape flaw whose real-world risk is moderated by non-trivial exploitation preconditions. The vendor CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L) makes clear this is NOT a remote, drive-by issue: the attacker needs local access, low-privilege ability to influence the filesystem OpenClaw operates on, and must win a timing race (AC:H plus AT:P) between OpenClaw's path-safety check and the actual remove/mkdir/rename operation. Against that, the impact metrics are maximal (VC:H/VI:H/VA:H and subsequent-system SC:H/SI:H/SA:H), reflecting that a successful race lets a sandboxed operation mutate host paths OUTSIDE the intended mirror root - a true confinement breakout. No EPSS score, CISA KEV entry, or public POC was provided in the intelligence, so exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis' - treat the 8.8 as a capability ceiling, not evidence of active use. The notable signal that elevates priority above a typical local race is the description's explicit statement that exploitation 'does not require an operator to have granted host filesystem access outside the sandbox' - the security boundary users rely on can be bypassed without any misconfiguration. Net: a real, patch-worthy issue for anyone running untrusted or multi-tenant workloads through OpenClaw's OpenShell, but the AC:H/AT:P race condition means opportunistic mass exploitation is unlikely; realistic threat is a determined local/adjacent-code attacker. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with low-privilege ability to run or influence code alongside OpenClaw submits a sandboxed remove/mkdir/rename against a path inside the mirror root, then concurrently swaps that path (e.g., via a symlink or directory rename) after OpenClaw's safety check passes but before the operation executes. Winning this race causes OpenClaw to delete, create, or rename a host file outside the sandbox with the process user's permissions. No public exploit code was identified in the provided intelligence, and success depends on reliably winning the TOCTOU window (CVSS AC:H/AT:P). |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 26, 2026
A time-of-check time-of-use race condition in OpenClaw's OpenShell local mirror filesystem mutation operations (remove, mkdir, rename) before 2026.7.1 allows an authenticated local attacker to escape the sandbox and delete, create, or rename host filesystem paths outside the intended mirror root with the permissions of the OpenClaw process user. Exploitation requires winning a narrow timing race between the sandbox path-safety check and the actual operation, which is a non-trivial precondition, but it does not require the operator to have granted host filesystem access outside the sandbox, so default deployments are affected. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis; the vendor has released a fix in version 2026.7.1.
RemediationAI
The primary remediation is to upgrade OpenClaw (npm package 'openclaw') to version 2026.7.1 or later, which contains the vendor-released fix for the TOCTOU race condition. The official advisory is at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-crg9-c62w-j2p5. If immediate upgrading is not possible, consider disabling or avoiding the OpenShell local mirror filesystem mutation operations (remove, mkdir, rename) if they are not essential to your workflow - this eliminates the attack surface but may break mirror synchronization functionality. As an additional compensating control, restrict local interactive access to the system running OpenClaw so that only trusted users can invoke OpenShell operations, although this does not fully eliminate the race for an attacker with local access. Because exploitation is local and requires winning a timing race, running OpenClaw with reduced process privileges (least privilege) can limit the impact of a successful escape to the permissions of that process user. No other workaround reliably addresses the race condition; the patch is the definitive fix.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability is a classic TOCTOU (time-of-check to time-of-use) race condition, classified as CWE-367, in the OpenShell local mirror component of the OpenClaw npm package ('openclaw'). OpenClaw performs a sandbox path-safety check to ensure that filesystem mutation operations (remove, mkdir, rename) stay within the intended local mirror root. However, between the check and the actual operation, an attacker who can concurrently change the target path - for example by swapping a file, directory, or symlink - can cause the operation to act on a different filesystem target outside the mirror root. The issue affects all versions before 2026.7.1, as reflected by the CPE cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*. The CVSS 4.0 vector CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H indicates a local attack vector, high attack complexity (AC:H), low privileges required (PR:L, authenticated), no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on both the vulnerable system and subsequent systems. The independent assessment using CVSS 3.1 (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H) similarly rates it as a local, high-complexity, low-privilege issue with scope change, confirming sandbox escape potential. The impact is bounded by the permissions of the OpenClaw process user, but the flaw enables host filesystem manipulation without the operator having granted host access outside the sandbox.
Know when Openclaw gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H
Local vector and TOCTOU timing give AV:L/AC:H; low-priv attacker (PR:L); sandbox-to-host breakout is a scope change (S:C) with full delete/create/rename impact on host files (C/I/A:H).
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
OpenClaw (npm package 'openclaw') before 2026.7.1 is vulnerable to a time-of-check time-of-use race condition in OpenShell local mirror filesystem mutation operations. The remove, mkdir, and rename operations could act on a different filesystem target after OpenClaw completed its sandbox path-safety check, if the path is changed concurrently. An attacker able to win the race can cause a sandboxed operation to delete, create, or rename a host path outside the intended mirror root with the permissions of the OpenClaw process user. This does not require an operator to have granted host filesystem access outside the sandbox. The issue is fixed in 2026.7.1.
Articles & Coverage 1
Technical POC Analysis
Evidence note: the supplied evidence is the GitHub advisory GHSA-crg9-c62w-j2p5 only.
Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.
Executive ViewAI
A sandbox-escape flaw in OpenShell, the local mirror filesystem component of OpenClaw, lets a local user on the host manipulate files outside the intended sandbox root using the OpenClaw service account's privileges - including deleting, creating, or renaming host paths. Because default deployments are affected and no operator opt-in is required, any environment running an unpatched OpenShell build carries risk of destructive or unauthorized changes to host data, which makes this a data-integrity and availability concern for teams relying on OpenClaw for isolation. Exploitation demands winning a narrow timing race and local access to the system, so the practical likelihood is lower than the severity score alone suggests, but the consequences of a successful attempt are direct and high-impact.
No vendor-released patch is confirmed as deployable per the patch data provided, although the vendor advisory cites a fix in OpenShell 2026.7.1 - validate availability with the vendor first. Interim mitigations: run the OpenClaw process as a dedicated least-privileged account with no write permissions to sensitive host paths, relocate instances to dedicated hosts or containers with read-only host mounts and no shared writable volumes, restrict interactive local logon to authorized administrators, disable or avoid local mirror mutation operations (remove, mkdir, rename) where feasible, and deploy file-integrity monitoring and host audit rules on paths outside the mirror root to detect unauthorized create, rename, or delete activity.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Auth bypass in OpenClaw voice-call extension before 2026.2.1. EPSS 0.68%. PoC and patch available.
Privilege escalation in OpenClaw (pre-2026.3.28) allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain administrative access b
OpenClaw versions 2026.2.22 through 2026.2.24 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows authenticated att
An authorization mismatch vulnerability in OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 allows authenticated users with operator.
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.1.29 automatically establish WebSocket connections to attacker-controlled gateway URLs e
Path traversal in OpenClaw through version 2026.3.23 enables unauthenticated remote attackers to read arbitrary files in
Directory-context bypass in OpenClaw before 2026.8.1 allows authenticated attackers with user interaction to reuse an 'a
Unauthenticated access to the noVNC observer interface in OpenClaw's Docker sandbox browser allows anyone who can reach
OpenClaw versions before 2026.2.26 allow authenticated attackers to write arbitrary files outside the workspace director
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain a shell environment variable injection vulnerability in the system.run func
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain a resource exhaustion vulnerability where the application fails to consiste
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 contain a sandbox escape vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers with low
EUVD-2026-87454
GHSA-6c5g-hrqv-57wr
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB