Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
OpenClaw before 2026.2.21 can let an authenticated attacker read files the tool policy was meant to block. The issue affects confidentiality, especially where OpenClaw workspaces contain secrets such as .env files. The provided sources do not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Prioritize as a near-term security update. It is not currently evidenced as actively exploited, but confidentiality impact is high when OpenClaw workspaces contain credentials or customer data.
Technical view
The flaw is a CWE-184 incomplete denylist/policy bypass in OpenClaw's grep entry within tools.exec.safeBins. Supplying a pattern through the -e flag plus a positional filename operand can bypass stdin-only file restrictions and read local files from the working directory. Fixed version is 2026.2.21.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to OpenClaw deployments running versions earlier than 2026.2.21 where users or integrated agents can invoke the safeBins grep tool. Risk increases when sensitive files exist in accessible working directories.
Exploitation context
The CVSS 3.1 score is 6.5 with low attack complexity and required privileges. Impact is confidentiality-only in the provided record. KEV is false, and the bundle cites no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE bundle, GitHub advisory, patch commit, and VulnCheck reference. Do not assume broader product impact beyond OpenClaw before 2026.2.21. Validate behavior only in authorized test environments.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade OpenClaw to 2026.2.21 or later.
- Review the GitHub advisory and patch commit for vendor remediation details.
- Remove unnecessary sensitive files from OpenClaw working directories.
- If upgrade is delayed, check vendor guidance for temporary controls.
Validation and detection
- Inventory OpenClaw versions across developer, CI, and hosted environments.
- Confirm no deployed instance is older than 2026.2.21.
- Review configuration for access to tools.exec.safeBins grep.
- Audit workspaces for exposed secrets such as .env files.
- Review logs for unusual safe grep file access attempts, if available.
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-184: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. 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-2026-32022 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A: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:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N2.83.6VulnCheckCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
6MediumVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/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-3xfw-4pmr-4xc5)CVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
- Patch CommitCVE reference, VulnCheck · patch
- VulnCheck Advisory: OpenClaw < 2026.2.21 - Arbitrary File Read via grep -e Flag Policy BypassCVE 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.
Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs
Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.