OpenClaw has a path traversal in browser trace/download output paths may allow arbitrary file writes

Summary

OpenClaw’s browser control API accepted user-supplied output paths for trace/download files without consistently constraining writes to OpenClaw-managed temporary directories.

Impact

If an attacker can access the browser control API, they could attempt to write trace/download output files outside intended temp roots, depending on process filesystem permissions.

Affected versions

openclaw < 2026.2.13

Fixed versions

openclaw >= 2026.2.13

Remediation

Upgrade to 2026.2.13 or later.

What changed

The fix constrains output paths for:

• POST /trace/stop
• POST /wait/download
• POST /download

All three now enforce OpenClaw temp-root boundaries and reject traversal/escape paths.

Credits

Thanks to Adnan Jakati (@jackhax) of Praetorian for responsible disclosure.

Fix shipped in PR #15652 and merged to main on February 13, 2026 (7f0489e4731c8d965d78d6eac4a60312e46a9426).

---

Fix commit 7f0489e4731c8d965d78d6eac4a60312e46a9426 confirmed on main and in v2026.2.14. Upgrade to openclaw >= 2026.2.13.