Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-27485

Openclaw ≤ 2026.2.17

Published
21 February 2026
Modified
23 February 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v4 4.6
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
EPSS Score 0.0022 13th percentile
Risk Priority 35 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-27485 is a medium-severity UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following (CWE-61) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 4.6 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked at the 13th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

This vulnerability is AI-related — categorised as LLM Application Platforms; in the Privacy and Disclosure risk domain.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-4 (Information Flow Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant. In versions 2026.2.17 and below, skills/skill-creator/scripts/package_skill.py (a local helper script used when authors package skills) previously followed symlinks while building .skill archives. If an author runs this script on a crafted local skill directory…

more

containing symlinks to files outside the skill root, the resulting archive can include unintended file contents. If exploited, this vulnerability can lead to potential unintentional disclosure of local files from the packaging machine into a generated .skill artifact, but requires local execution of the packaging script on attacker-controlled skill contents. This issue has been fixed in version 2026.2.18.

CWE(s)

AI Security AnalysisAI

AI Category
LLM Application Platforms
Risk Domain
Privacy and Disclosure
OWASP Top 10 for LLMs 2025
None mapped
Classification Reason
Matched keywords: ai

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1034 Path Interception Persistence
**This technique has been deprecated.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-43570Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-35632Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-41397Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-25593Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-32024Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-32054Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-31990Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-32013Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-24764Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-24763Same product: Openclaw Openclaw

Affected Assets

openclaw
openclaw
≤ 2026.2.17

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 2 hardening rules · 2 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.2.5

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Access enforcement must resolve the actual target of any file reference and apply authorizations to it, directly stopping symlink traversal to unauthorized objects.

Information-flow enforcement on file operations must follow the resolved target rather than the link name, blocking unauthorized data movement via symlinks.

Least-privilege restrictions on the directories that may contain links or targets reduce the set of files an attacker can reach even if a symlink is followed.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly prevent introduction of symlink-following flaws in file-handling code.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification can discover existing symlink issues but does not prevent or remediate them in code.

PR.AA-05 partial match
prevents

Least-privilege access policies can limit damage from symlink attacks but do not address the coding flaw itself.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing can detect symlink-following vulnerabilities before deployment, covering most of the weakness.

prevents

Secure-architecture principles require safe file-handling and canonicalization, directly addressing symlink attacks.

prevents

Secure-coding standards mandate explicit symlink checks and safe open patterns, fully mitigating CWE-61.

mitigates

Access-control rules can restrict which files a process may open, reducing symlink-following risk but not eliminating the underlying path-resolution flaw.

none

Configuration management can enforce safe file-permission baselines that limit symlink abuse, but does not address the code flaw itself.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
  • V-248577 OL 8 must enable kernel parameters to enforce Discretionary Access Control (DAC) on symlinks. prevents CWE-61

References