OpenClaw: Sandbox dangling-symlink alias handling could bypass workspace-only write boundary
Date: 2026-03
Affected: npm/openclaw
Attack vector: path-traversal
Category: vulnerability-disclosure
Severity: High
CWE: CWE-367
CWE-59
CVSS: 7 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)

### Summary A sandbox boundary-validation gap in symlink alias handling allowed certain workspace-only write paths to be treated as in-boundary even when they could resolve outside the workspace/sandbox root. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: npm `openclaw` - Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.25` - Latest published npm version included in affected range: `2026.2.25` (checked on February 26, 2026) - Patched version (pre-set for release): `2026.2.26` ### Technical Details In affected versions, dangling symlink hops could be accepted during boundary checks under missing-target conditions. For workspace-only write flows (including `apply_patch`), this could allow writes to resolve outside the configured workspace/sandbox boundary. The fix resolves symlink targets through existing ancestors and fails closed when canonical resolution escapes the configured boundary. ### Impact - Boundary-confined write operations could be redirected outside the configured workspace/sandbox root. - Primary impact is integrity of host-side files reachable from that path resolution. ### Fix Commit(s) - `4fd29a35bb85a1898ebff518364c467058b50e14` ### Release Process Note `patched_versions` is pre-set to the planned next release (`2026.2.26`) so once npm `2026.2.26` is published, the advisory can be published without further field edits. Thanks @tdjackey for reporting.


Mitigations:

Architectural layers (MAESTRO):