Vulnerability Database

328,409

Total vulnerabilities in the database

OpenClaw: Zip extraction symlink traversal could write outside destination

Summary

A path confinement bypass in OpenClaw ZIP extraction allowed writes outside the intended destination when a pre-existing symlink was present under the extraction root.

Affected Packages / Versions

  • Package: openclaw (npm)
  • Latest published npm version at triage time: 2026.2.21-2
  • Affected versions: <= 2026.2.21-2
  • Planned patched version for next release: 2026.2.22

Technical Details

The vulnerable path was in src/infra/archive.ts ZIP extraction logic. Output-path checks were lexical, but writes could still traverse an existing symlink in destination path segments.

The fix blocks this by:

  • rejecting symlink traversal in destination path segments,
  • validating resolved destination paths remain inside the extraction root,
  • using no-follow file opens for ZIP output writes where supported,
  • adding a regression test for pre-seeded destination symlink traversal.

Impact

  • Type: Arbitrary file write outside extraction root via symlink traversal during ZIP extraction.
  • Preconditions: attacker-controlled archive extraction plus pre-existing symlink in destination path.

Fix Commit(s)

  • 4b226b74f5fd3b106a83a6347fd404172e2fd246

Release Process Note

Patched version is pre-set to the planned next release (2026.2.22). Once npm release 2026.2.22 is published, the advisory can be published without further field edits.

OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

No technical information available.

CWEs:

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

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.

SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.