CVE-2026-26972
📋 TL;DR
OpenClaw versions 2026.1.12 through 2026.2.12 contain a path traversal vulnerability in browser download helpers that allows authenticated attackers to write files outside the intended temporary downloads directory. This affects users running vulnerable OpenClaw versions with authenticated CLI access or authenticated gateway RPC tokens. The vulnerability is not exposed through the AI agent tool schema.
💻 Affected Systems
- OpenClaw
📦 What is this software?
Openclaw by Openclaw
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Authenticated attacker writes arbitrary files to any location the OpenClaw process can access, potentially leading to remote code execution, data corruption, or system compromise.
Likely Case
Authenticated user with malicious intent writes files to unauthorized directories, potentially overwriting configuration files or planting backdoors.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, impact is limited to temporary file system manipulation within the OpenClaw user context.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated CLI access or authenticated gateway RPC token. No public exploit code identified.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2026.2.13
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-xwjm-j929-xq7c
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Stop OpenClaw service. 2. Update to version 2026.2.13 via package manager or manual installation. 3. Restart OpenClaw service.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable browser control gateway
allPrevent exploitation by disabling the vulnerable browser control gateway routes
openclaw config set browser.gateway.enabled false
systemctl restart openclaw
Restrict RPC token access
allLimit authenticated gateway RPC tokens to trusted users only
openclaw auth revoke --type rpc
openclaw auth create --type rpc --user trusted_user
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict CLI and RPC access to trusted administrators only
- Implement file system monitoring for writes outside OpenClaw temp directory
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check OpenClaw version: openclaw --version. If version is between 2026.1.12 and 2026.2.12 inclusive, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
openclaw --versionVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify version is 2026.2.13 or higher: openclaw --version📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- File write operations outside /tmp/openclaw/downloads/ directory
- Browser gateway download requests with unusual path parameters
Network Indicators:
- RPC calls to browser control gateway with path traversal patterns
SIEM Query:
process:openclaw AND (file_write:../ OR file_write:../../ OR file_write:*..*)