CVE-2026-27485 – OpenClaw versions 2026.2.17 and below have a sy... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2026-27485?

CVE-2026-27485 has a CVSS score of 4.4 (MEDIUM). OpenClaw versions 2026.2.17 and below have a symlink vulnerability in the skill packaging script that allows local file inclusion when building .skill archives. This affects developers who package skills using the vulnerable script on systems with attacker-controlled skill directories. The vulnerability can lead to unintentional disclosure of local files from the packaging machine.

📋 TL;DR

OpenClaw versions 2026.2.17 and below have a symlink vulnerability in the skill packaging script that allows local file inclusion when building .skill archives. This affects developers who package skills using the vulnerable script on systems with attacker-controlled skill directories. The vulnerability can lead to unintentional disclosure of local files from the packaging machine.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

OpenClaw

Versions: 2026.2.17 and below

Operating Systems: All platforms where OpenClaw runs

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects users who run the package_skill.py script to create .skill archives from local skill directories.

📦 What is this software?

Openclaw by Openclaw

View all CVEs affecting Openclaw →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Sensitive local files (configuration files, credentials, private keys) from the packaging machine are included in generated .skill archives and potentially distributed to untrusted parties.

🟠

Likely Case

Accidental inclusion of non-sensitive local files in skill packages during development workflows.

🟢

If Mitigated

No file disclosure occurs due to proper access controls and script execution in isolated environments.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - The vulnerability requires local execution of packaging scripts and does not directly expose systems to remote exploitation.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Developers packaging skills in shared or untrusted environments could inadvertently expose sensitive files to colleagues or automated build systems.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW - Requires creating a malicious skill directory with symlinks and convincing a developer to run the packaging script on it.

Exploitation requires local access to the packaging machine or social engineering to get developers to package malicious skill directories.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2026.2.18

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-r6h2-5gqq-v5v6

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Update OpenClaw to version 2026.2.18 or later. 2. Replace any existing vulnerable package_skill.py scripts with the patched version from the repository.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Manual symlink checking

linux

Manually verify skill directories don't contain symlinks before packaging

find /path/to/skill -type l -ls

Isolated packaging environment

all

Package skills in a clean, isolated directory without symlinks to sensitive locations

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Only package skills from trusted, verified directories without symlinks
Run packaging scripts in isolated containers or VMs with limited file system access

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if package_skill.py follows symlinks by examining the script or testing with a symlink in a skill directory.

Check Version:

Check OpenClaw version or examine the package_skill.py script modification date against the fix commit.

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify the package_skill.py script resolves symlinks properly or rejects them during archive creation.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual file paths in generated .skill archives
Packaging script accessing files outside expected skill directories

Network Indicators:

N/A - Local vulnerability

SIEM Query:

Process execution of package_skill.py with arguments pointing to directories containing symlinks

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2026-27485

CVSS v3 Score: 4.4 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

CWE: CWE-61

Published: February 21, 2026

Last Updated: February 23, 2026

🔗 References

https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/c275932aa4230fb7a8212fe1b9d2a18424874b3f Patch
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/ee1d6427b544ccadd73e02b1630ea5c29ba9a9f0 Patch
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/20796 Issue Tracking
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.19 Release Notes
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-r6h2-5gqq-v5v6 Mitigation,Vendor Advisory

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2026-27485, you might also want to check these: