OpenClaw tools.exec.safeBins had a stdin-only policy bypass for grep.
If pattern input was supplied through -e / --regexp, the validator consumed the pattern as a flag value and still allowed one positional operand. That positional could be a bare filename like .env.
openclaw (npm)2026.2.19-2<= 2026.2.19-2>= 2026.2.21tools.exec.safeBins must include grep (this is opt-in; grep is not in the default safe-bin list).src/infra/exec-safe-bin-policy.ts configured grep with maxPositional: 1 and allowed -e / --regexp value flags.
Because -e consumes the pattern in flag-value position, the remaining positional budget could be used for a file operand.
Example accepted input in vulnerable builds:
grep -e SECRET .env
That violated the intended stdin-only guarantee for safe bins.
With grep opt-in enabled, callers could read bare-relative files from the working directory (for example .env, credentials.txt) in flows expected to be stdin-only.
CVSS v3.1 is set to:
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N (5.3, Medium)
AC:H is used because exploitation depends on a non-default configuration (grep must be explicitly added to safe bins) in addition to normal low-privilege tool-invocation capability.
c6ee14d60e4cbd6a82f9b2d74ebeb1e8ee814964patched_versions is pre-set to >= 2026.2.21 so this advisory is ready to publish after the 2026.2.21 npm release is live.
OpenClaw thanks @athuljayaram for reporting.
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
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Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
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