Executive Summary

CVE-2026-41383 is a vulnerability in OpenClaw versions before 2026.4.2 that allows attackers to delete remote directories arbitrarily. This happens because the mirror mode feature improperly handles configuration paths named remoteWorkspaceDir and remoteAgentWorkspaceDir. Attackers can manipulate these paths to cause the mirror synchronization process to delete unintended remote directories and replace their contents with uploaded workspace data.

The root cause is a path traversal issue where the system does not properly restrict or validate the absolute paths used for remote workspace directories, allowing attackers to specify arbitrary locations for deletion and overwriting.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can have a significant impact by allowing an attacker with some privileges to remotely delete important directories on the target system and replace their contents with attacker-controlled data. This can lead to data loss, disruption of services, and potential compromise of system integrity.

• Loss of critical remote directory contents due to arbitrary deletion.
• Replacement of deleted data with malicious or unauthorized workspace data.
• Potential disruption of normal operations relying on the affected directories.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves manipulation of the OpenShell configuration parameters `remoteWorkspaceDir` and `remoteAgentWorkspaceDir` in mirror mode, which can lead to arbitrary remote directory deletion during synchronization.

To detect if your system is vulnerable, check the OpenClaw version installed and inspect the configuration values for these parameters to see if they allow arbitrary or absolute paths outside the managed roots.

Suggested commands include:

• Check OpenClaw version: `openclaw --version` or check package.json dependencies for OpenClaw version.
• Search configuration files or environment variables for `remoteWorkspaceDir` and `remoteAgentWorkspaceDir` values to verify if they are set to absolute paths outside `/sandbox` or `/agent`.
• Use commands like `grep -r 'remoteWorkspaceDir' /path/to/configs` or `grep -r 'remoteAgentWorkspaceDir' /path/to/configs` to locate these settings.
• Monitor network traffic for suspicious mirror sync operations that might trigger remote directory deletions, though specific network detection commands are not provided.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, immediately upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.4.2 or later, where the issue is fixed by constraining remote workspace directories to specific managed roots.

Ensure that the configuration parameters `remoteWorkspaceDir` and `remoteAgentWorkspaceDir` are set only to absolute paths under `/sandbox` or `/agent`.

If upgrading is not immediately possible, manually validate and restrict these configuration paths to prevent arbitrary absolute paths that could be exploited.

Review and apply the patch identified by commit `b21c9840c2e38f4bb338d031511b479d5f07ca25` which enforces path normalization and validation.

Additionally, monitor and audit mirror sync operations to detect any unauthorized directory deletions.

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Compliance Impact

The provided information does not specify any direct impact of CVE-2026-41383 on compliance with common standards and regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.

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