CVE-2026-26972: Openclaw Path Traversal Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xwjm-j929-xq7c
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CVSS 6.7
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-26972 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.7) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw has a path traversal in browser download functionality. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.13.

CVE-2026-26972 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-26972
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xwjm-j929-xq7c
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.7
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.7

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-26972

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: 2026.2.13 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.13
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-2026-26972, 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 2026.2.13), 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. 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 OpenClaw browser download helpers accepted an unsanitized output path. When invoked via the browser control gateway routes, this allowed path traversal to write downloads outside the intended OpenClaw temp downloads directory. This issue is not exposed via the AI agent tool schema (no `download` action). Exploitation requires authenticated CLI access or an authenticated gateway RPC token. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: >=2026.1.12, <=2026.2.12 - Fixed: >=2026.2.13 ### Details Affected code: `src/browser/pw-tools-core.downloads.ts` (`waitForDownloadViaPlaywright`, `downloadViaPlaywright`). Fixed entrypoints (as of 2026.2.13): - Gateway browser control routes `/wait/download` and `/download` now restrict `path` to `DEFAULT_DOWNLOAD_DIR` via `resolvePathWithinRoot`. ### Fix Commit(s) - 7f0489e4731c8d965d78d6eac4a60312e46a9426 ### Mitigation Upgrade to `openclaw` >=2026.2.13. Thanks @locus-x64 for reporting.

CVE-2026-26972 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.13
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
≥ 2026.1.12
< 2026.2.13
2026.2.13

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-xwjm-j929-xq7c
NVD — CVE-2026-26972 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-26972
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/7f0489e4731c8d965d78d6eac4a60312e46a9426
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
Openclaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.13

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-26972?
CVE-2026-26972 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw has a Path Traversal in Browser Download Functionality under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.13 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-26972?
Upgrading to 2026.2.13 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.13. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.13 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-26972?
CVE-2026-26972 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.7 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-26972?
CVE-2026-26972 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-26972?
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-xwjm-j929-xq7c",
  "modified" : "2026-02-20T16:46:20Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-18T17:37:52Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-26972" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw has a Path Traversal in Browser Download Functionality",
  "details" : "### Summary\n\nOpenClaw browser download helpers accepted an unsanitized output path. When invoked via the browser control gateway routes, this allowed path traversal to write downloads outside the intended OpenClaw temp downloads directory.\n\nThis issue is not exposed via the AI agent tool schema (no `download` action). Exploitation requires authenticated CLI access or an authenticated gateway RPC token.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected: >=2026.1.12, <=2026.2.12\n- Fixed: >=2026.2.13\n\n### Details\n\nAffected code: `src/browser/pw-tools-core.downloads.ts` (`waitForDownloadViaPlaywright`, `downloadViaPlaywright`).\n\nFixed entrypoints (as of 2026.2.13):\n- Gateway browser control routes `/wait/download` and `/download` now restrict `path` to `DEFAULT_DOWNLOAD_DIR` via `resolvePathWithinRoot`.\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n\n- 7f0489e4731c8d965d78d6eac4a60312e46a9426\n\n### Mitigation\n\nUpgrade to `openclaw` >=2026.2.13.\n\nThanks @locus-x64 for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2026.1.12"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.13"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.2.12"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-xwjm-j929-xq7c"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-26972"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/7f0489e4731c8d965d78d6eac4a60312e46a9426"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.13"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-18T17:37:52Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-02-20T00:16:16Z"
  }
}