Executive brief
OpenClaw is a macOS security tool that enforces execution policies to control which programs can run on a system. The vulnerability allows attackers to bypass the security allowlist by exploiting basename-only matching, enabling unauthorized local binaries with the same name as allowlisted programs (e.g., "./echo") to execute without approval. This weakens endpoint security controls and could allow privilege escalation or malicious code execution.
Technical details
The vulnerability is an authorization bypass (CWE-863) in OpenClaw's macOS exec-approval allowlist feature. When optional exec-approval is enabled with security=allowlist and ask=on-miss, the system previously matched allowlist entries by basename alone (e.g., "echo") rather than enforcing full path validation. An attacker can create a malicious binary with the same basename in a controlled directory (e.g., ./echo) and execute it without approval. The vulnerability requires the allowlist feature to be explicitly enabled; the default deny-by-default posture is not affected. The fix enforces path-only matching, removes basename fallback logic, and adds migration for legacy allowlist entries.
Affected products
- OpenClaw openclaw <=2026.2.21-2
Timeline
- 2026-03-03: disclosed: Advisory published
- 2026-02-23: patched: Fix committed; patched version 2026.2.22 planned