Executive brief
OpenClaw, a tool used for managing AI workflows and gateways, contains a flaw where its configuration file may be restored with insecure permissions during a recovery process. This could allow other users on the same computer to read sensitive configuration data, potentially leading to unauthorized access to connected services or data. Organizations using shared hosting environments are most at risk.
Technical details
An incorrect default permissions vulnerability (CWE-276) exists in OpenClaw's configuration recovery mechanism. When the configuration repair feature is triggered, the resulting 'openclaw.json' file may be created with world-readable permissions rather than restricted access. A local attacker with low privileges on the same host can exploit this to read the configuration file, which may contain sensitive operational data or credentials. The vulnerability is present in version 2026.4.23 and was addressed in version 2026.4.24. Exploitation requires the recovery feature to be enabled and reachable by the attacker.
Affected products
- openclaw openclaw 2026.4.23
Timeline
- 2026-05-28: disclosed: Initial disclosure by reporter
- 2026-06-18: advisory: GitHub Advisory published
- 2026.4.24: patched: First stable patched version