CVE-2026-27523: OpenClaw's sandbox bind validation could bypass allowed-root and blocked-path checks via symlink-parent missing-leaf paths

Summary

In openclaw up to and including 2026.2.23 (latest npm release as of February 24, 2026), sandbox bind-source validation could be bypassed when a bind source used a symlinked parent plus a non-existent leaf path.

Affected Packages / Versions

• Package: openclaw (npm)
• Affected: <= 2026.2.23
• Patched: >= 2026.2.24 (planned next release)

Root Cause

validateBindMounts previously relied on full-path realpath only when the full source path already existed. For missing-leaf paths, parent symlink traversal was not fully canonicalized before allowed-root and blocked-path checks.

Security Impact

A source path that looked inside an allowed root could resolve outside that root (including blocked runtime paths) once the missing leaf was created, weakening sandbox bind-source boundary enforcement.

Fix

The validation path now canonicalizes through the nearest existing ancestor, then always re-checks the canonical path against both:

• allowed source roots
• blocked runtime paths

Verification

• pnpm check
• pnpm exec vitest run --config vitest.gateway.config.ts
• pnpm test:fast
• Added regression tests for symlink-parent + missing-leaf bypass patterns.

Fix Commit(s)

• b5787e4abba0dcc6baf09051099f6773c1679ec1

Release Process Note

patched_versions is pre-set to the planned next release (2026.2.24) so after npm publish the advisory can be published without further field edits.

OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

Publication Update (2026-02-25)

[email protected] is published on npm and contains the fix commit(s) listed above. This advisory now marks >= 2026.2.24 as patched.