CVE-2026-27522
Received Received - Intake

Local Media Root Bypass in OpenClaw Allows Arbitrary File Read

Publication date: 2026-03-18

Last updated on: 2026-03-18

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.24 contain a local media root bypass vulnerability in sendAttachment and setGroupIcon message actions when sandboxRoot is unset. Attackers can hydrate media from local absolute paths to read arbitrary host files accessible by the runtime user.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-03-18
Last Modified
2026-03-18
Generated
2026-07-06
AI Q&A
2026-03-18
EPSS Evaluated
2026-07-05
NVD
CVE-2026-27522
EUVD
EUVD-2026-12732

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
openclaw openclaw to 2026.2.24 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-22 The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.2.24 or later, where the issue has been fixed.

Ensure that the sandboxRoot configuration is properly set to enforce local media root checks and prevent unauthorized file access.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to unauthorized local file disclosure, meaning attackers can read arbitrary files on the host system accessible by the runtime user.

Such unauthorized access can expose sensitive information stored in files, potentially leading to information leakage.

The vulnerability has a medium severity rating with a CVSS v4 score of 7.1, indicating a significant risk if exploited.

Compliance Impact

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Detection Guidance

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Executive Summary

CVE-2026-27522 is a vulnerability in OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.24 that affects the sendAttachment and setGroupIcon message actions when the sandboxRoot configuration is unset.

This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass local media root restrictions and hydrate media from local absolute file paths. Essentially, attackers can exploit improper pathname limitation (CWE-22) to perform path traversal, enabling them to read arbitrary files on the host system that are accessible by the runtime user.

The root cause is that the application does not properly restrict file paths, allowing unauthorized access to files outside the intended directories.

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