OpenClaw before 2026.3.8 contains a path traversal vulnerability in the skills download installer that validates the tools root lexically but reuses the mutable path during archive download and copy operations. A local attacker can rebind the tools-root path between validation and final write to redirect the installer outside the intended tools directory.
OpenClaw before 2026.3.11 contains a sandbox boundary bypass vulnerability in fs-bridge staged writes where temporary file creation and population are not pinned to a verified parent directory. Attackers can exploit a race condition in parent-path alias changes to write attacker-controlled bytes outside the intended validated path before the final guarded replace step executes.
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain an allowlist bypass vulnerability in the safe-bin configuration when sort is manually added to tools.exec.safeBins. Attackers can invoke sort with the --compress-program flag to execute arbitrary external programs without operator approval in allowlist mode with ask=on-miss enabled.
OpenClaw versions 2026.2.26 prior to 2026.3.1 on Windows contain a current working directory injection vulnerability in wrapper resolution for .cmd/.bat files that allows attackers to influence execution behavior through cwd manipulation. Remote attackers can exploit improper shell execution fallback mechanisms to achieve command execution integrity loss by controlling the current working directory during wrapper resolution.
OpenClaw before 2026.3.31 contains a time-of-check-time-of-use race condition in the remote filesystem bridge readFile function that allows sandbox escape. Attackers can exploit the separate path validation and file read operations to bypass sandbox restrictions and read arbitrary files.
OpenClaw before 2026.3.31 contains a callback origin mutation vulnerability in Plivo voice-call replay that allows attackers to mutate in-process callback origin before replay rejection. Attackers with captured valid callbacks for live calls can exploit this to manipulate callback origins during the replay process.
OpenClaw before 2026.4.2 contains an approval integrity vulnerability in pnpm dlx that fails to bind local script operands consistently with pnpm exec flows. Attackers can replace approved local scripts before execution without invalidating the approval plan, allowing execution of modified script contents.
OpenClaw before 2026.3.31 contains a time-of-check-time-of-use vulnerability in sandbox file operations that allows attackers to bypass fd-based defenses. Attackers can exploit check-then-act patterns in apply_patch, remove, and mkdir operations to manipulate files between validation and execution.
OpenClaw before 2026.3.11 contains an approval integrity vulnerability allowing attackers to execute rewritten local code by modifying scripts between approval and execution when exact file binding cannot occur. Remote attackers can change approved local scripts before execution to achieve unintended code execution as the OpenClaw runtime user.
OpenClaw before 2026.3.8 contains an approval bypass vulnerability in system.run where mutable script operands are not bound across approval and execution phases. Attackers can obtain approval for script execution, modify the approved script file before execution, and execute different content while maintaining the same approved command shape.
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 fail to pin executable identity for non-path-like argv[0] tokens in system.run approvals, allowing post-approval executable rebind attacks. Attackers can modify PATH resolution after approval to execute a different binary than the operator approved, enabling arbitrary command execution.
OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 contains a policy bypass vulnerability where queued node actions are not revalidated against current command policy when delivered. Attackers can exploit stale allowlists or declarations that survive policy tightening to execute unauthorized commands.
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.25 contain a time-of-check-time-of-use vulnerability in approval-bound system.run execution where the cwd parameter is validated at approval time but resolved at execution time. Attackers can retarget a symlinked cwd between approval and execution to bypass command execution restrictions and execute arbitrary commands on node hosts.
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.26 contain an approval bypass vulnerability in system.run execution that allows attackers to execute commands from unintended filesystem locations by rebinding writable parent symlinks in the current working directory after approval. An attacker can modify mutable parent symlink path components between approval and execution time to redirect command execution to a different location while preserving the visible working directory string.
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.2 contain a race condition vulnerability in ZIP extraction that allows local attackers to write files outside the intended destination directory. Attackers can exploit a time-of-check-time-of-use race between path validation and file write operations by rebinding parent directory symlinks to redirect writes outside the extraction root.
The install utility in uutils coreutils is vulnerable to a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) race condition during file installation. The implementation unlinks an existing destination file and then recreates it using a path-based operation without the O_EXCL flag. A local attacker can exploit the window between the unlink and the subsequent creation to swap the path with a symbolic link, allowing them to redirect privileged writes to overwrite arbitrary system files.
A Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerability exists in the install utility of uutils coreutils when using the -D flag. The command creates parent directories and subsequently performs a second path resolution to create the target file, neither of which is anchored to a directory file descriptor. An attacker with concurrent write access can replace a path component with a symbolic link between these operations, redirecting the privileged write to an arbitrary file system location.
A Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerability exists in the split utility of uutils coreutils. The program attempts to prevent data loss by checking for identity between input and output files using their file paths before initiating the split operation. However, the utility subsequently opens the output file with truncation after this path-based validation is complete. A local attacker with write access to the directory can exploit this race window by manipulating mutable path components (e.g., swapping a path with a symbolic link). This can cause split to truncate and write to an unintended target file, potentially including the input file itself or other sensitive files accessible to the process, leading to permanent data loss.
The touch utility in uutils coreutils is vulnerable to a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) race condition during file creation. When the utility identifies a missing path, it later attempts creation using File::create(), which internally uses O_TRUNC. An attacker can exploit this window to create a file or swap a symlink at the target path, causing touch to truncate an existing file and leading to permanent data loss.
Dell PowerScale OneFS, versions 9.8.0.0 through 9.10.1.0, contain a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to denial of service and information tampering.
A Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) race condition exists in the mv utility of uutils coreutils during cross-device operations. The utility removes the destination path before recreating it through a copy operation. A local attacker with write access to the destination directory can exploit this window to replace the destination with a symbolic link. The subsequent privileged move operation will follow the symlink, allowing the attacker to redirect the write and overwrite an arbitrary target file with contents from the source.
filelock is a platform-independent file lock for Python. In versions prior to 3.20.1, a Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) race condition allows local attackers to corrupt or truncate arbitrary user files through symlink attacks. The vulnerability exists in both Unix and Windows lock file creation where filelock checks if a file exists before opening it with O_TRUNC. An attacker can create a symlink pointing to a victim file in the time gap between the check and open, causing os.open() to follow the symlink and truncate the target file. All users of filelock on Unix, Linux, macOS, and Windows systems are impacted. The vulnerability cascades to dependent libraries. The attack requires local filesystem access and ability to create symlinks (standard user permissions on Unix; Developer Mode on Windows 10+). Exploitation succeeds within 1-3 attempts when lock file paths are predictable. The issue is fixed in version 3.20.1. If immediate upgrade is not possible, use SoftFileLock instead of UnixFileLock/WindowsFileLock (note: different locking semantics, may not be suitable for all use cases); ensure lock file directories have restrictive permissions (chmod 0700) to prevent untrusted users from creating symlinks; and/or monitor lock file directories for suspicious symlinks before running trusted applications. These workarounds provide only partial mitigation. The race condition remains exploitable. Upgrading to version 3.20.1 is strongly recommended.
Rust is a multi-paradigm, general-purpose programming language designed for performance and safety, especially safe concurrency. The Rust Security Response WG was notified that the `std::fs::remove_dir_all` standard library function is vulnerable a race condition enabling symlink following (CWE-363). An attacker could use this security issue to trick a privileged program into deleting files and directories the attacker couldn't otherwise access or delete. Rust 1.0.0 through Rust 1.58.0 is affected by this vulnerability with 1.58.1 containing a patch. Note that the following build targets don't have usable APIs to properly mitigate the attack, and are thus still vulnerable even with a patched toolchain: macOS before version 10.10 (Yosemite) and REDOX. We recommend everyone to update to Rust 1.58.1 as soon as possible, especially people developing programs expected to run in privileged contexts (including system daemons and setuid binaries), as those have the highest risk of being affected by this. Note that adding checks in your codebase before calling remove_dir_all will not mitigate the vulnerability, as they would also be vulnerable to race conditions like remove_dir_all itself. The existing mitigation is working as intended outside of race conditions.
Avast and AVG Antivirus for Windows were susceptible to a Time-of-check/Time-of-use (TOCTOU) vulnerability in the Quarantine process, leading to arbitrary file/directory deletion. The issue was fixed with Avast and AVG Antivirus version 22.11 and virus definitions from 14 February 2023 or later.
A local file deletion vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect app on Windows devices enables a user to delete system files from the endpoint with elevated privileges through a race condition.
yt-grabber-tui is a C++ terminal user interface application for downloading YouTube content. yt-grabber-tui version 1.0 contains a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) race condition (CWE-367) in the creation of the default configuration file config.json. In version 1.0, load_json_settings in Settings.hpp checks for the existence of config.json using boost::filesystem::exists and, if the file is missing, calls create_json_settings which writes the JSON configuration with boost::property_tree::write_json. A local attacker with write access to the application’s configuration directory (~/.config/yt-grabber-tui on Linux or the current working directory on Windows) can create a symbolic link between the existence check and the subsequent write so that the write operation follows the symlink and overwrites an attacker-chosen file accessible to the running process. This enables arbitrary file overwrite within the privileges of the application process, which can corrupt files and cause loss of application or user data. If the application is executed with elevated privileges, this could extend to system file corruption. The issue is fixed in version 1.0.1.
Microsoft Defender Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
A Race Condition Enabling Link Following vulnerability in the cron job shipped with texlive-filesystem of SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15-SP1, SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12-SP4, SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12-SP5; openSUSE Leap 15.1 allows local users in group mktex to delete arbitrary files on the system This issue affects: SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15-SP1 texlive-filesystem versions prior to 2017.135-9.5.1. SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12-SP4 texlive-filesystem versions prior to 2013.74-16.5.1. SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12-SP5 texlive-filesystem versions prior to 2013.74-16.5.1. openSUSE Leap 15.1 texlive-filesystem versions prior to 2017.135-lp151.8.3.1.
Microsoft Defender Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
libuser 0.56 and 0.57 has a TOCTOU (time-of-check time-of-use) race condition when copying and removing directory trees.
Docker Desktop for Windows before 4.6 allows attackers to overwrite any file through the windowscontainers/start dockerBackendV2 API by controlling the data-root field inside the DaemonJSON field in the WindowsContainerStartRequest class. This allows exploiting a symlink vulnerability in ..\dataRoot\network\files\local-kv.db because of a TOCTOU race condition.
A Time of Check Time of Use (TOCTOU) vulnerability was reported in the Lenovo Vantage SystemUpdate Plugin version 2.0.0.212 and earlier that could allow a local attacker to delete arbitrary files.