CVE-2026-28453
Received Received - Intake

Path Traversal in OpenClaw TAR Extraction Enables Code Execution

Publication date: 2026-03-05

Last updated on: 2026-03-09

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.14 fail to validate TAR archive entry paths during extraction, allowing path traversal sequences to write files outside the intended directory. Attackers can craft malicious archives with traversal sequences like ../../ to write files outside extraction boundaries, potentially enabling configuration tampering and code execution.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-03-05
Last Modified
2026-03-09
Generated
2026-07-06
AI Q&A
2026-03-06
EPSS Evaluated
2026-07-05
NVD
CVE-2026-28453
EUVD
EUVD-2026-9902

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
openclaw openclaw to 2026.2.14 (exc)

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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.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.14 where the software fails to properly validate the paths of entries in TAR archives during extraction.

Because of this, attackers can create malicious TAR archives containing path traversal sequences such as "../../" that allow files to be written outside the intended extraction directory.

This can lead to unauthorized file writes outside the target folder, potentially enabling attackers to tamper with configuration files or execute arbitrary code.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can allow attackers to write files outside the intended directory during TAR archive extraction.

This unauthorized file write can lead to configuration tampering, which may disrupt normal operations or weaken security settings.

More critically, it can enable attackers to execute arbitrary code on the affected system, potentially leading to full system compromise.

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