Executive brief
OpenClaw is a library used for managing sandboxed environments, often in Node.js applications. A security flaw allows code running inside a restricted sandbox to escape its boundaries and write files to unauthorized locations on the host system. This could lead to system instability or the corruption of important files outside the intended secure area.
Technical details
A Time-of-Check Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) race condition exists in OpenClaw's fs-bridge component. While the library validates file paths, the final 'writeFile' commit step uses an unanchored path during the move operation. An attacker with low privileges can modify parent paths within the sandbox during this window to redirect file writes outside the validated writable path of the container mount namespace. This allows for arbitrary file writes on the host system with the permissions of the OpenClaw process. The issue is fixed in version 2026.3.11 by anchoring the commit path to the canonical parent directory.
Affected products
- OpenClaw OpenClaw < 2026.3.11
Timeline
- 2026-03-12: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2026-03-31: disclosed: NVD publication date