Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
OpenClaw before 2026.2.24 can let a logged-in attacker make the service read local files through attachment or group icon message actions. The business risk is exposure of secrets, configuration files, or other data readable by the OpenClaw runtime user.
Executive priority
Treat this as a near-term confidentiality risk. Prioritize internet-accessible or multi-user OpenClaw systems first, then complete upgrades and configuration review across the fleet.
Technical view
The issue is a CWE-22 local media root bypass in sendAttachment and setGroupIcon when sandboxRoot is unset. CVSS 4.0 score is 7.1: network reachable, low complexity, low privilege, no user interaction, with high confidentiality impact and no stated integrity or availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to OpenClaw deployments running versions before 2026.2.24, especially where sandboxRoot is unset. CPE coverage is not provided, so version and configuration validation should not rely only on scanner matching.
Exploitation context
The provided bundle does not show KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires low privileges and abuses message actions to hydrate media from local absolute paths. No exploit steps are provided here.
Researcher notes
The strongest evidence is the CVE entry, GitHub advisory, patch reference, and VulnCheck advisory. The affected metadata is sparse and lists no CPEs, so researchers should verify exposure directly by version and sandboxRoot state.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade OpenClaw to 2026.2.24 or later.
- Review the vendor advisory and patch commit for exact fixed behavior.
- Ensure sandboxRoot is configured where vendor guidance supports it.
- Limit low-privilege access until affected instances are upgraded.
- Review runtime file permissions to reduce readable sensitive files.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all OpenClaw deployments and record installed versions.
- Confirm whether sandboxRoot is unset on any deployment.
- Check whether sendAttachment and setGroupIcon actions are available to users.
- Validate upgraded systems report version 2026.2.24 or later.
- Review relevant OpenClaw logs for suspicious local media access indicators.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-27522 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.1 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——VulnCheckCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N2.83.6VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
7.1HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-fqcm-97m6-w7rm)CVE reference, VulnCheck · vendor-advisory
- Patch CommitCVE reference, VulnCheck · patch
- VulnCheck Advisory: OpenClaw < 2026.2.24 - Arbitrary File Read via sendAttachment and setGroupIcon Message ActionsCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.