OpenClaw's `tools.exec.safeBins` PATH-hijack allowed trojan binaries to bypass allowlist checks
Summary
tools.exec.safeBins allowlist checks could be bypassed by PATH-hijacked binaries, allowing execution of attacker-controlled trojan binaries under an allowlisted executable name.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Latest published version at triage time:
2026.2.17 - Affected range:
>= 2026.1.21 < 2026.2.18 - Patched version:
2026.2.19
Impact
In allowlist mode, safeBins validation previously accepted a resolved executable path based on executable name and argument shape, without enforcing trusted executable directories. If an attacker could influence process PATH resolution before gateway startup (or otherwise control the gateway launch environment), a trojan binary with an allowlisted name (for example jq) could be executed.
Severity Rationale
This issue is rated medium because exploitation requires an additional precondition: influencing the gateway process PATH / launch environment. Request-scoped PATH injection is blocked for host execution.
Fix
safeBins now requires the resolved executable path to come from trusted bin directories (system defaults plus gateway startup PATH), closing the bypass.
Fix Commit(s)
- 28bac46c92069dc728524fbf383024c1b64e5c23
OpenClaw thanks @jackhax for reporting.
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
openclaw
|
2026.1.21 | 2026.2.19 |
Deep Security Visibility Without the Complexity
SynScan provides clear, real-time security insights so you can monitor your attack surface, spot risks early, and act fast—without extra complexity.
- No setup fees
- 5-min deployment
- Cancel anytime
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.