CVE-2026-31990: OpenClaw StageSandboxMedia Destination Symlink Traversal Can Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cfvj-7rx7-fc7c
Share
CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-31990 is a HIGH stagesandboxmedia destination symlink traversal can vulnerability (CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves stagesandboxmedia destination symlink traversal can overwrite files outside sandbox workspace. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.2.

CVE-2026-31990 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-31990
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cfvj-7rx7-fc7c
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-31990

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: 2026.3.2 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.2
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-2026-31990, 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 2026.3.2), 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-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following'), where the product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource. 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 `stageSandboxMedia` allowed destination symlink traversal during media staging, which could overwrite files outside the sandbox workspace root. ### Impact When sandbox media staging handled inbound files, destination writes under `media/inbound` were not destination-alias-safe. If a symlink existed in that destination path, the write could follow it and overwrite host files outside the intended sandbox workspace boundary. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Latest published version checked: `2026.3.1` - Affected: `<= 2026.3.1` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.3.2` (released) ### Root Cause `stageSandboxMedia` validated source paths but wrote destination files with a direct copy path that did not enforce destination boundary/alias checks. ### Remediation The fix routes staging writes through root-scoped safe write primitives for both local and SCP-staged attachments, preventing destination symlink traversal escapes. ### Fix Commit(s) - `17ede52a4be3034f6ec4b883ac6b81ad0101558a`

CVE-2026-31990 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.2
2026.3.2

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-cfvj-7rx7-fc7c
NVD — CVE-2026-31990 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31990
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/17ede52a4be3034f6ec4b883ac6b81ad0101558a
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-symlink-traversal-in-stagesandboxmedia-destination

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-31990?
CVE-2026-31990 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving stageSandboxMedia destination symlink traversal can overwrite files outside sandbox workspace under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following').
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.2 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-31990?
Upgrading to 2026.3.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.2 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-31990?
CVE-2026-31990 is classified under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') (The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-31990?
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-cfvj-7rx7-fc7c",
  "modified" : "2026-03-19T21:22:14Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-03T21:18:28Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-31990" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: stageSandboxMedia destination symlink traversal can overwrite files outside sandbox workspace",
  "details" : "### Summary\n`stageSandboxMedia` allowed destination symlink traversal during media staging, which could overwrite files outside the sandbox workspace root.\n\n### Impact\nWhen sandbox media staging handled inbound files, destination writes under `media/inbound` were not destination-alias-safe. If a symlink existed in that destination path, the write could follow it and overwrite host files outside the intended sandbox workspace boundary.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Latest published version checked: `2026.3.1`\n- Affected: `<= 2026.3.1`\n- Patched versions: `>= 2026.3.2` (released)\n\n### Root Cause\n`stageSandboxMedia` validated source paths but wrote destination files with a direct copy path that did not enforce destination boundary/alias checks.\n\n### Remediation\nThe fix routes staging writes through root-scoped safe write primitives for both local and SCP-staged attachments, preventing destination symlink traversal escapes.\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n- `17ede52a4be3034f6ec4b883ac6b81ad0101558a`",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:H/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.3.1"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-cfvj-7rx7-fc7c"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31990"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/17ede52a4be3034f6ec4b883ac6b81ad0101558a"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-symlink-traversal-in-stagesandboxmedia-destination"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-03T21:18:28Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}