OpenClaw gateway agents.files symlink escape allowed out-of-workspace file read/writeGHSA-fgvx-58p6-gjwc
HIGHFix: openclaw/openclaw@125f407GHSA-fgvx-58p6-gjwc is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-59 vulnerability in openclaw. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-fgvx-58p6-gjwc.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
openclawnpmDescription
Impact
The gateway agents.files.get and agents.files.set methods allowed symlink traversal for allowlisted workspace files. A symlinked allowlisted file (for example AGENTS.md) could resolve outside the agent workspace and be read/written by the gateway process.
This could enable arbitrary host file read/write within the gateway process permissions, and chained impact up to code execution depending on which files are overwritten.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Affected versions:
<= 2026.2.24 - Latest published vulnerable version at patch time:
2026.2.24 - Patched versions:
>= 2026.2.25
Remediation
agents.files now resolves real workspace paths, enforces containment for resolved targets, rejects out-of-workspace symlink targets, and keeps in-workspace symlink targets supported. The patch also adds gateway regression tests for blocked escapes and valid in-workspace symlink behavior.
Fix Commit(s)
125f4071bcbc0de32e769940d07967db47f09d3d
Release Process Note
patched_versions is intentionally pre-set to the release (2026.2.25). Advisory published with npm release 2026.2.25.
OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.2.25npm install openclaw@2026.2.25 |
Affected Products
openclawopenclawResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openclaw, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update openclaw to 2026.2.25 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-fgvx-58p6-gjwc is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-fgvx-58p6-gjwc in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.