Summary
OpenClaw: stageSandboxMedia destination symlink traversal can overwrite files outside sandbox workspace
stageSandboxMedia allowed destination symlink traversal during media staging, which could overwrite files outside the sandbox workspace root.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Latest published version checked:
2026.3.1 - Affected:
<= 2026.3.1 - Patched versions:
>= 2026.3.2(released)
Root Cause
stageSandboxMedia validated source paths but wrote destination files with a direct copy path that did not enforce destination boundary/alias checks.
Fix Commit(s)
17ede52a4be3034f6ec4b883ac6b81ad0101558a
Impact
When sandbox media staging handled inbound files, destination writes under media/inbound were not destination-alias-safe. If a symlink existed in that destination path, the write could follow it and overwrite host files outside the intended sandbox workspace boundary.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
The fix routes staging writes through root-scoped safe write primitives for both local and SCP-staged attachments, preventing destination symlink traversal escapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-31990? CVE-2026-31990 is a high-severity security vulnerability in openclaw (npm), affecting versions <= 2026.3.1. It is fixed in 2026.3.2.
- Which versions of openclaw are affected by CVE-2026-31990? openclaw (npm) versions <= 2026.3.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-31990? Yes. CVE-2026-31990 is fixed in 2026.3.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-31990 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-31990 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-31990 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-31990? Upgrade
openclawto 2026.3.2 or later.