Openclaw cli: OpenClaw: Sender policy bypass in host media attachment reads allows unauthorized local file disclosure (CVE-2026-42438)
Description
OpenClaw CLI versions 2026.4.9 up to but not including 2026.4.10 contain a vulnerability where sender and group-scoped read policies can be bypassed in host media attachment reads. This allows an unauthorized sender to trigger host-local file reads that should have been denied by policy, potentially disclosing local files accessible by the OpenClaw process. The issue arises from a mismatch in policy enforcement between global/agent-level read access and sender/group-level restrictions. The vulnerability was fixed in version 2026.4.10.
CVSS v4.0
Affected software
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AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
OpenClaw's outbound host-media attachment read helper did not properly enforce sender and group-scoped tool read policies, allowing a sender denied read access by these policies to still trigger host-media attachment loading and read local files. This bypass occurs when global or agent-level read permissions exist but sender/group policies deny read for certain participants. The flaw is a policy enforcement mismatch where the host-media read helper was installed without considering sender context. The vulnerability affects OpenClaw versions >=2026.4.9 and <2026.4.10. It was fixed in version 2026.4.10 by threading sender, session, channel, and account context into outbound media access resolution and intersecting host-media read capability creation with group tool read policy.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability allows unauthorized local file disclosure through outbound media reads in deployments that rely on sender or group-scoped read restrictions but have global or agent-level host read permissions. This bypasses intended authorization boundaries, potentially exposing host-local files readable by the OpenClaw process. The issue does not depend on the model prompt as a security boundary and is a concrete policy enforcement mismatch.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available and was released in OpenClaw version 2026.4.10. Users should upgrade to version 2026.4.10 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Additional hardening was included in version 2026.4.14, but the authorization bypass was resolved in 2026.4.10.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- BREW-openclaw-cli-CVE-2026-42438
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.7.3
- Ecosystems
- ["Homebrew"]
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
Threat ID: 6ac2459712601ec6a3165d1a
Added to database: 10/04/2026, 12:24:55 UTC
Last enriched: 10/04/2026, 12:43:01 UTC
Last updated: 10/04/2026, 16:08:38 UTC
Views: 1
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