OpenClaw safeBins file-existence oracle information disclosure

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

4.3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2026-4040: 0.14% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 3.53 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

An information disclosure vulnerability in OpenClaw's tools.exec.safeBins approval flow allowed a file-existence oracle. When safe-bin validation examined candidate file paths, command allow/deny behavior could differ based on whether a path already existed on the host filesystem. An attacker could probe for file presence by comparing outcomes for existing vs non-existing filenames. Affected Packages / Versions - Package: openclaw (npm) - Affected versions: <= 2026.2.17 - Latest published vulnerable version at triage time: 2026.2.17 - Planned patched version: 2026.2.18 Impact Attackers with access to this execution surface could infer whether specific files exist (for example secrets/config files), enabling filesystem enumeration and improving follow-on attack planning. Fix The safe-bin policy was changed to deterministic argv-only validation without host file-existence checks. File-oriented flags are blocked for safe-bin mode (for example sort -o, jq -f, grep -f), and trusted-path…

Published by the source

19 Feb 2026, 22:06 UTC

Last modified by the source

14 Mar 2026, 05:26 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:43 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-6c9j-x93c-rw6j

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-6c9j-x93c-rw6j

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-4040

Advisory: OpenClaw safeBins file-existence oracle information disclosure
IDs: CVE-2026-4040, GHSA-6c9j-x93c-rw6j
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-4040 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:43 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 4.3)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: openclaw 2026.2.19. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm openclaw: affected <= 2026.2.17; fixed in 2026.2.19

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls openclaw --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on openclaw.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-6c9j-x93c-rw6j (OSV record GHSA-6c9j-x93c-rw6j lists affected ranges: npm openclaw >=0 <2026.2.19 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6c9j-x93c-rw6j (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-6c9j-x93c-rw6j lists affected ranges: npm openclaw >=0 <=2026.2.17)

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