MediumPublic exploit

Path Traversal in OpenClaw MEDIA path extraction

IdentifiersCVE-2026-25475CWE-22· Improper Limitation of a Pathname…

OpenClaw before version 2026.1.30 contains an arbitrary file read / local file inclusion issue in the isValidMedia() function in src/media/parse.ts. The function insufficiently validates MEDIA: paths and permits absolute filesystem paths, home-directory paths, and directory traversal sequences. As a result, an agent can be induced to access attacker-specified local paths such as MEDIA:/path/to/file, causing OpenClaw to read files outside any intended media directory restrictions and return their contents to the user or channel. The issue is effectively a path traversal leading to arbitrary local file read and data exfiltration.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows reading and exfiltrating any file accessible to the OpenClaw process account. This can expose sensitive local data including SSH keys, cloud credentials, API tokens, application secrets, configuration files, and system files such as /etc/passwd and potentially /etc/shadow where readable. The primary impact is confidentiality compromise, with downstream risk of account takeover, cloud compromise, lateral movement, and broader environment compromise if harvested secrets are reused.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, disable or strictly restrict the MEDIA: path extraction feature. Reject MEDIA: inputs containing absolute paths, home-directory references (~), or traversal elements such as ../ and ./. Enforce canonicalization and allowlisting to a dedicated media directory, and ensure resolved paths cannot escape that directory. Run OpenClaw under a least-privilege account with minimal filesystem permissions to limit readable files and reduce blast radius.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.1.30 or later. Verify the deployed build includes the path-validation fix in isValidMedia(), specifically proper path canonicalization/realpath handling and enforcement that resolved paths remain within an intended allowlisted media directory. Review whether any secrets accessible to the OpenClaw runtime may have been exposed prior to patching and rotate credentials as appropriate.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

OpenclawOpenclawapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

4 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

4 SOURCESView more in app

cyberthroneNews

Mar 18, 2026

OpenClaw: The Open-Source AI Agent Rewriting the Threat Landscape - TheCyberThrone

One of several additional OpenClaw vulnerabilities mentioned as part of a broader stack of moderate- to high-severity flaws affecting the platform.

dark readingNews

Mar 2, 2026

Critical OpenClaw Vulnerability Exposes AI Agent Risks

Unknown (referenced as part of a set of OpenClaw security issues; details not provided in the content).

the hacker newsNews

Feb 28, 2026

ClawJacked Flaw Lets Malicious Sites Hijack Local OpenClaw AI Agents via WebSocket

One of several recently disclosed OpenClaw vulnerabilities, ranging from moderate to high severity, that could lead to serious impacts such as remote code execution, command injection, SSRF, authentication bypass, or path traversal.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity1

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES

MITRE CVE

cve.org · CVE-2026-25475

NVD

nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-25475

MITRE CWE · CWE-22

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a…

Patch

github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-r8g4-86fx-92mq