OpenClaw safeBins stdin-only bypass via sort output and recursive grep flags
## Summary `tools.exec.safeBins` could be bypassed for filesystem access when `sort` output flags (`-o` / `--output`) or recursive `grep` flags were allowed through safe-bin execution paths. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.17` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.2.19` - Latest published version at triage time: `2026.2.17` ## Impact In deployments that enabled `tools.exec.safeBins`, an attacker with access to command execution flows could turn intended stdin-only safe-bin usage into file writes (`sort -o`) or recursive file reads (`grep -R`). ## Fix Commit(s) - `2c05cbb43e48ebad03626d3125746fb1b9a8520f` Found using [MCPwner](https://github.com/Pigyon/MCPwner) Thanks @nedlir for reporting.
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-31996US | — | — | ||
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.19 tools.exec.safeBins contains an input validation bypass vulnerability that allows attackers to execute unintended filesystem operations through… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclawPACKAGE
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/2c05cbb43e48ebad03626d3125746fb1b9a8520fWEB
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-4685-c5cp-vp95WEB
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31996ADVISORY
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-safebins-stdin-only-bypass-via-sort-output-and-recursive-grep-flagsWEB
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