CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-100597NVD status: Deferred

OpenClaw: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-100597 is a high-severity time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability in OpenClaw, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists version 2026.7.1 as the first without the flaw, so updating OpenClaw to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.08% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update OpenClaw to 2026.7.1 or a later version.
  2. Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
OpenClawOpenClawbefore 2026.7.12026.7.1

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (vulncheck.com).

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 4.08.8HighCNA (vulncheck.com)
CVSS 3.17.8HighCNA (vulncheck.com)

Official description

OpenClaw (npm package 'openclaw') before 2026.7.1 is vulnerable to a time-of-check time-of-use race condition in OpenShell local mirror filesystem mutation operations. The remove, mkdir, and rename operations could act on a different filesystem target after OpenClaw completed its sandbox path-safety check, if the path is changed concurrently. An attacker able to win the race can cause a sandboxed operation to delete, create, or rename a host path outside the intended mirror root with the permissions of the OpenClaw process user. This does not require an operator to have granted host filesystem access outside the sandbox. The issue is fixed in 2026.7.1.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition

The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • The most basic advice for TOCTOU vulnerabilities is to not perform a check before the use. This does not resolve the underlying issue of the execution of a function on a resource whose state and identity cannot be assured, but it does help to limit the false sense of security given by the check.
  • When the file being altered is owned by the current user and group, set the effective gid and uid to that of the current user and group when executing this statement.
  • Limit the interleaving of operations on files from multiple processes.

More Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition vulnerabilities (CWE-367)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in OpenClaw

All OpenClaw vulnerabilities

Recent Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition vulnerabilities

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