CVE-2026-41296: OpenClaw Sandbox Escape Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9p3r-hh9g-5cmg
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CVSS 8.2
CWE-367
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-41296 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 8.2) sandbox escape vulnerability (CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves sandbox escape via toctou race in remote fs bridge readfile. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.31.

CVE-2026-41296 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-41296
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9p3r-hh9g-5cmg
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.2
CWE Classification CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.2

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-41296

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected OpenClaw dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

openclaw fixed: 2026.3.31 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.31
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls openclaw

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-41296, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls openclaw

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of OpenClaw in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2026.3.31), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls openclaw command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition, where the product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check. In OpenClaw, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

## Summary Sandbox escape via TOCTOU race in remote FS bridge readFile ## Current Maintainer Triage - Normalized severity: critical - Assessment: v2026.3.28 remote sandbox reads still do path-check then separate file read, so the TOCTOU sandbox escape remains present in the latest shipped tag. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Latest published npm version: `2026.3.31` - Vulnerable version range: `<=2026.3.28` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.3.31` - First stable tag containing the fix: `v2026.3.31` ## Fix Commit(s) - `121870a08583033ed6a0ed73d9ffea32991252bb` — 2026-03-31T09:55:51+09:00 OpenClaw thanks @AntAISecurityLab for reporting.

CVE-2026-41296 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.31
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.31
2026.3.31

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-9p3r-hh9g-5cmg
NVD — CVE-2026-41296 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41296
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/121870a08583033ed6a0ed73d9ffea32991252bb
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
OpenClaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.31
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-sandbox-escape-via-toctou-race-in-remote-fs-bridge-readfile

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-41296?
CVE-2026-41296 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Sandbox escape via TOCTOU race in remote FS bridge readFile under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.31 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-41296?
Upgrading to 2026.3.31 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.31. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.31 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-41296?
CVE-2026-41296 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.2 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-41296?
CVE-2026-41296 is classified under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition (The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-41296?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls openclaw'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-9p3r-hh9g-5cmg",
  "modified" : "2026-04-24T21:04:35Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-03T03:14:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-41296" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Sandbox escape via TOCTOU race in remote FS bridge readFile",
  "details" : "## Summary\nSandbox escape via TOCTOU race in remote FS bridge readFile\n\n## Current Maintainer Triage\n- Normalized severity: critical\n- Assessment: v2026.3.28 remote sandbox reads still do path-check then separate file read, so the TOCTOU sandbox escape remains present in the latest shipped tag.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Latest published npm version: `2026.3.31`\n- Vulnerable version range: `<=2026.3.28`\n- Patched versions: `>= 2026.3.31`\n- First stable tag containing the fix: `v2026.3.31`\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n- `121870a08583033ed6a0ed73d9ffea32991252bb` — 2026-03-31T09:55:51+09:00\n\nOpenClaw thanks @AntAISecurityLab for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.31"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.3.28"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-9p3r-hh9g-5cmg"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41296"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/121870a08583033ed6a0ed73d9ffea32991252bb"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.31"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-sandbox-escape-via-toctou-race-in-remote-fs-bridge-readfile"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-367" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-03T03:14:16Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-21T00:16:29Z"
  }
}