CVE-2026-41364: OpenClaw SSH Sandbox Tar Upload Follows Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fv94-qvg8-xqpw
CVSS 8.1
CWE-59 CWE-61
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-41364 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) ssh sandbox tar upload follows vulnerability (CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves ssh sandbox tar upload follows symlinks, enabling arbitrary file write on remote host. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.31.

CVE-2026-41364 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-41364
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fv94-qvg8-xqpw
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-41364

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-2026-41364, 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-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 SSH sandbox tar upload follows symlinks, enabling arbitrary file write on remote host ## Current Maintainer Triage - Status: open - Normalized severity: high - Assessment: Real in shipped v2026.3.28: SSH sandbox tar upload lacked pre-upload symlink escape rejection until 3d5af14984 on 2026-03-31; maintainers already accepted it and the fix is unreleased. ## 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) - `3d5af14984ac1976c747a8e11581d697bd0829dc` — 2026-03-31T19:56:45+09:00 OpenClaw thanks @AntAISecurityLab for reporting.

CVE-2026-41364 Affected OpenClaw Versions

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

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-41364?
CVE-2026-41364 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving SSH sandbox tar upload follows symlinks, enabling arbitrary file write on remote host under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following').
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.31 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-41364?
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-2026-41364?
CVE-2026-41364 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-41364?
CVE-2026-41364 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-2026-41364?
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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-fv94-qvg8-xqpw",
  "modified" : "2026-05-06T19:11:31Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-02T21:23:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-41364" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: SSH sandbox tar upload follows symlinks, enabling arbitrary file write on remote host",
  "details" : "## Summary\nSSH sandbox tar upload follows symlinks, enabling arbitrary file write on remote host\n\n## Current Maintainer Triage\n- Status: open\n- Normalized severity: high\n- Assessment: Real in shipped v2026.3.28: SSH sandbox tar upload lacked pre-upload symlink escape rejection until 3d5af14984 on 2026-03-31; maintainers already accepted it and the fix is unreleased.\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- `3d5af14984ac1976c747a8e11581d697bd0829dc` — 2026-03-31T19:56:45+09:00\n\nOpenClaw thanks @AntAISecurityLab for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "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-fv94-qvg8-xqpw"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41364"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/3d5af14984ac1976c747a8e11581d697bd0829dc"
  }, {
    "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-arbitrary-file-write-via-symlink-following-in-ssh-sandbox-tar-upload"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-59", "CWE-61" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-02T21:23:32Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}