📄 Description (English)
OpenClaw before 2026.3.11 contains a sandbox boundary bypass vulnerability in the fs-bridge writeFile commit step that uses an unanchored container path during the final move operation. An attacker can exploit a time-of-check-time-of-use race condition by modifying parent paths inside the sandbox to redirect committed files outside the validated writable path within the container mount namespace.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2026-32977 is a sandbox boundary bypass vulnerability in OpenClaw's file system bridge that allows attackers to exploit a race condition (TOCTOU) to write files outside intended sandbox boundaries. While currently unpatched and without public exploits, the vulnerability poses a medium risk (CVSS 6.3) to containerized environments. Organizations using OpenClaw for file operations in restricted environments should immediately implement compensating controls and monitor for exploitation attempts.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: May 17, 2026 07:20
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability primarily impacts Saudi organizations using OpenClaw in containerized environments, particularly: (1) Government agencies (NCA, CITC) running containerized applications for document processing and file management; (2) Banking sector (SAMA-regulated institutions, STC Finance) using containerized microservices for transaction processing; (3) Healthcare providers (MOH, private hospitals) processing sensitive patient records in containers; (4) Energy sector (ARAMCO, SEC) managing operational technology in containerized environments. The sandbox bypass could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, configuration files, and system resources within container infrastructure.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government (NCA, CITC, Ministry of Interior)
Banking and Financial Services (SAMA-regulated banks, STC Finance)
Healthcare (Ministry of Health, private hospitals)
Energy (ARAMCO, SEC)
Telecommunications (STC, Mobily)
Education (Universities running containerized systems)
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1036 - Masquerading (path manipulation to hide file writes)
T1548 - Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism (sandbox escape)
T1564 - Hide Artifacts (writing files outside monitored paths)
T1542 - Pre-OS Boot (container escape to host system)
T1611 - Escape to Host (container boundary bypass)
T1083 - File and Directory Discovery (reconnaissance of writable paths)
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
6.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
Immediate Actions:
1. Identify all OpenClaw deployments in your environment and document versions prior to 2026.3.11
2. Restrict file system permissions on container mount points to principle of least privilege
3. Implement strict access controls on parent directory paths that OpenClaw processes
4. Enable audit logging for all file operations within OpenClaw containers
Compensating Controls (until patch available):
5. Deploy SELinux or AppArmor policies to restrict OpenClaw process capabilities and file access
6. Use read-only root filesystems where possible; mount only necessary directories as writable
7. Implement file integrity monitoring (FIM) on critical directories to detect unauthorized writes
8. Run OpenClaw containers with minimal privileges (non-root user, dropped capabilities)
9. Use network segmentation to isolate containers running OpenClaw from sensitive systems
10. Monitor for suspicious symlink creation or parent directory traversal patterns
Detection Rules:
11. Alert on TOCTOU patterns: rapid file operations followed by path modifications in OpenClaw processes
12. Monitor for writeFile operations that attempt to access parent directories (../ patterns)
13. Track failed file operations followed by successful writes to unexpected locations
14. Log all container escape attempts or out-of-bounds file access attempts
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. حدد جميع نشرات OpenClaw في بيئتك وتوثيق الإصدارات السابقة للإصدار 2026.3.11
2. قيد أذونات نظام الملفات على نقاط تثبيت الحاويات بمبدأ أقل امتياز
3. طبق ضوابط وصول صارمة على مسارات الدليل الأب التي تعالجها OpenClaw
4. فعّل تسجيل التدقيق لجميع عمليات الملفات داخل حاويات OpenClaw
الضوابط التعويضية (حتى توفر التصحيح):
5. نشر سياسات SELinux أو AppArmor لتقييد قدرات عملية OpenClaw والوصول إلى الملفات
6. استخدم أنظمة ملفات جذر للقراءة فقط حيث أمكن؛ ركب الدلائل الضرورية فقط كقابلة للكتابة
7. طبق مراقبة سلامة الملفات (FIM) على الدلائل الحرجة للكشف عن الكتابات غير المصرح بها
8. قم بتشغيل حاويات OpenClaw بامتيازات دنيا (مستخدم غير جذر، قدرات مسقطة)
9. استخدم تقسيم الشبكة لعزل الحاويات التي تقوم بتشغيل OpenClaw عن الأنظمة الحساسة
10. راقب الأنماط المريبة لإنشاء الروابط الرمزية أو أنماط اجتياز دليل الأب
قواعد الكشف:
11. تنبيه على أنماط TOCTOU: عمليات ملفات سريعة متبوعة بتعديلات المسار في عمليات OpenClaw
12. راقب عمليات writeFile التي تحاول الوصول إلى الدلائل الأب (أنماط ../)
13. تتبع عمليات الملفات الفاشلة متبوعة بعمليات كتابة ناجحة في مواقع غير متوقعة
14. سجل جميع محاولات الهروب من الحاويات أو محاولات الوصول إلى الملفات خارج الحدود
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.5.1.1 - Information Security Policies (file access controls)
ECC 2024 A.8.2.1 - User Access Management (least privilege principle)
ECC 2024 A.12.4.1 - Event Logging (audit trails for file operations)
ECC 2024 A.13.1.3 - Segregation of Networks (container isolation)
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-2 - Asset Management (identify OpenClaw deployments)
SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access Control (least privilege, file permissions)
SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - Detection and Analysis (monitoring file operations)
SAMA CSF DE.AE-1 - Anomalies and Events (TOCTOU pattern detection)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.1 - Policies for information security
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - User access management
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.3 - User responsibilities
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.4 - Logging
ISO 27001:2022 A.13.1 - Network security
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 1.1 - Firewall configuration standards (network segmentation)
PCI DSS 2.2 - Configuration standards for system components
PCI DSS 3.4 - Render PAN unreadable (file protection)
PCI DSS 10.2 - Implement automated audit trails (logging)