Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-29611

Path Traversal in Openclaw ≤ 2026.2.14

Public PoCPath Traversal
Published
05 March 2026
Modified
11 March 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v4 8.2
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/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 0.0029 22th percentile
Risk Priority 43 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-29611 is a high-severity External Control of File Name or Path (CWE-73) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 8.2 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data from Local System (T1005); ranked at the 22th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and AC-3 (Access Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-29611 is a local file inclusion vulnerability affecting OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.14, specifically in the BlueBubbles extension when installed and enabled. The issue resides in the sendBlueBubblesMedia function, which fails to properly validate the mediaPath parameter against an allowlist. This flaw, classified under CWE-73, enables attackers to traverse directory boundaries and access arbitrary files on the local filesystem. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), highlighting high confidentiality impact with network accessibility and no prerequisites.

Remote, unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability by supplying a malicious mediaPath parameter to the sendBlueBubblesMedia endpoint. Successful exploitation allows reading of sensitive local files, such as /etc/passwd, which are then exfiltrated as media attachments. The attack requires the BlueBubbles extension to be active but demands no user interaction or privileges, making it straightforward over the network.

Advisories recommend upgrading to OpenClaw version 2026.2.14 or later, where the fix is implemented via commit 71f357d9498cebb0efe016b0496d5fbe807539fc. Additional guidance from the GitHub security advisory (GHSA-rwj8-p9vq-25gv) and VulnCheck details disabling the BlueBubbles extension as a temporary mitigation if patching is not immediately feasible.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.14 contain a local file inclusion vulnerability in BlueBubbles extension (must be installed and enabled) media path handling that allows attackers to read arbitrary files from the local filesystem. The sendBlueBubblesMedia function fails to validate mediaPath…

more

parameters against an allowlist, enabling attackers to request sensitive files like /etc/passwd and exfiltrate them as media attachments.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1005 Data from Local System Collection
Adversaries may search local system sources, such as file systems, configuration files, local databases, virtual machine files, or process memory, to find files of interest and sensitive data prior to Exfiltration.
T1083 File and Directory Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may enumerate files and directories or may search in specific locations of a host or network share for certain information within a file system.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1574.007 Path Interception by PATH Environment Variable Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking environment variables used to load libraries.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-28459Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-42424Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-27008Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-34510Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-32008Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-43533Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-41297Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-41392Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-53861Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-22181Same product: Openclaw Openclaw

Affected Assets

openclaw
openclaw
≤ 2026.2.14

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.3.2

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Input validation directly rejects or sanitizes untrusted path strings before they reach filesystem operations.

Enforces authorization checks on the actual resource accessed, blocking unauthorized files even when a malicious path is supplied.

Least-privilege limits the set of files or directories any subject can affect, shrinking the blast radius of a path-control flaw.

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 full match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices include input validation and path sanitization that eliminate this weakness.

PR.AA-05 mostly match
prevents

Least-privilege file authorization directly limits damage from externally controlled paths.

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 path-traversal issues but does not itself implement preventive controls.

prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates input validation and path-handling controls that directly prevent external file/path manipulation.

prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against untrusted input influencing file operations.

prevents

Secure architecture principles discourage unsafe path construction but do not prescribe concrete file-name controls.

prevents

Secure coding standards require canonicalization, allow-listing, and bounds checks on file paths, directly eliminating CWE-73.

mitigates

Information access restriction limits which files can be reached, indirectly reducing impact of path manipulation.

References