Executive brief
OpenClaw is a JavaScript sandbox execution environment used to safely run untrusted code in Docker containers. The sandbox configuration identifier previously used SHA-1, a deprecated hash algorithm with known collision weaknesses, to cache and reuse sandbox containers. An attacker could exploit hash collisions to trick the system into reusing an unsafe sandbox state, potentially allowing one malicious configuration to be treated as a different legitimate one, compromising sandbox isolation.
Technical details
The vulnerability is a weak cryptographic hash algorithm (CWE-327, CWE-328) in the sandbox cache identifier mechanism. OpenClaw used SHA-1 to hash normalized Docker/browser sandbox configuration payloads to generate deterministic cache keys for sandbox container reuse decisions. SHA-1 has known collision weaknesses; an attacker crafting two different configurations with matching SHA-1 hashes could cause one malicious configuration to be cached and reused under the identity of a trusted configuration, leading to cache poisoning and unsafe sandbox state reuse. The fix upgrades the hash algorithm to SHA-256, restoring collision resistance. This vulnerability affects OpenClaw versions <= 2026.2.14 and is patched in version 2026.2.15.
Affected products
- OpenClaw OpenClaw <= 2026.2.14
Timeline
- 2026-02-19: disclosed
- 2026-02-15: patched: Version 2026.2.15 released with SHA-256 fix