CVE-2026-33574: Openclaw OpenClaw's Skills-install-download Can Be Redirected Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vhwf-4x96-vqx2
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CWE-367
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-33574 is a MODERATE openclaw's skills-install-download can be redirected vulnerability (CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw's skills-install-download can be redirected outside the tools root by rebinding the validated base path. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.8.

CVE-2026-33574 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-33574
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vhwf-4x96-vqx2
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-33574

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: 2026.3.8 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.8
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-2026-33574, 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 2026.3.8), 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

OpenClaw's skills download installer validated the intended per-skill tools root lexically, but later reused that mutable path while downloading and copying the archive into place. If a local attacker could rebind that tools-root path between validation and the final write, the installer could be redirected to write outside the intended tools directory. The fix pins the canonical per-skill tools root immediately after validation and derives later download/copy paths from that canonical root, so rebinding the lexical path fails closed instead of redirecting the write. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Latest published vulnerable version: `2026.3.7` - Affected range: `<= 2026.3.7` - Fixed in released version: `2026.3.8` ## Fix Commit(s) - `9abf014f3502009faf9c73df5ca2cff719e54639` ## Release Verification - Verified fixed in GitHub release `v2026.3.8` published on March 9, 2026. - Verified `npm view openclaw version` resolves to `2026.3.8`. - Verified the release contains the regression test covering tools-root rebinding and that the test passes against the `v2026.3.8` tree. Thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

CVE-2026-33574 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.8
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.8
2026.3.8

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-vhwf-4x96-vqx2
NVD — CVE-2026-33574 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-33574
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/9abf014f3502009faf9c73df5ca2cff719e54639
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-path-traversal-via-tools-root-rebinding-in-skills-download

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-33574?
CVE-2026-33574 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's skills-install-download can be redirected outside the tools root by rebinding the validated base path under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.8 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-33574?
Upgrading to 2026.3.8 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.8. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.8 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-33574?
CVE-2026-33574 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-2026-33574?
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-vhwf-4x96-vqx2",
  "modified" : "2026-04-06T22:46:40Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-12T14:21:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-33574" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's skills-install-download can be redirected outside the tools root by rebinding the validated base path",
  "details" : "OpenClaw's skills download installer validated the intended per-skill tools root lexically, but later reused that mutable path while downloading and copying the archive into place. If a local attacker could rebind that tools-root path between validation and the final write, the installer could be redirected to write outside the intended tools directory.\n\nThe fix pins the canonical per-skill tools root immediately after validation and derives later download/copy paths from that canonical root, so rebinding the lexical path fails closed instead of redirecting the write.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Latest published vulnerable version: `2026.3.7`\n- Affected range: `<= 2026.3.7`\n- Fixed in released version: `2026.3.8`\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- `9abf014f3502009faf9c73df5ca2cff719e54639`\n\n## Release Verification\n\n- Verified fixed in GitHub release `v2026.3.8` published on March 9, 2026.\n- Verified `npm view openclaw version` resolves to `2026.3.8`.\n- Verified the release contains the regression test covering tools-root rebinding and that the test passes against the `v2026.3.8` tree.\n\nThanks @tdjackey for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.8"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.3.7"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-vhwf-4x96-vqx2"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-33574"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/9abf014f3502009faf9c73df5ca2cff719e54639"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-path-traversal-via-tools-root-rebinding-in-skills-download"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-367" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-12T14:21:32Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}