OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.19 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the stageSandboxMedia function. When iMessage remote attachment fetching is enabled, the function accepts arbitrary absolute paths. This flaw, classified as CWE‑22, allows an attacker who can tamper with attachment path metadata to cause the OpenClaw process to read and expose any file readable by that process on the configured remote host via SCP. The exposure results in sensitive data disclosure and compromises confidentiality.

The vulnerability affects installations of OpenClaw (vendor OpenClaw, product OpenClaw) running any version earlier than 2026.2.19. The affected software is identified by the Common Platform Enumeration string cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*, and the path traversal flaw exists in the core stageSandboxMedia logic that handles iMessage remote attachments.

The CVSS base score for this vulnerability is 8.2, indicating high severity. An EPSS score is not available, and the issue is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Exploitation requires that the attacker can modify the attachment path metadata, after which the OpenClaw process will read arbitrary files from the remote host over the SCP channel. Because the vulnerability allows reading of any file accessible to the OpenClaw process, the impact is limited to confidentiality loss of those files if the attacker succeeds.