In OpenClaw, manually adding sort to tools.exec.safeBins could bypass allowlist approval via --compress-program

Summary

This issue applies to a non-default configuration only. If sort is manually added to tools.exec.safeBins, OpenClaw could treat sort --compress-program=<prog> as valid safe-bin usage. In security=allowlist + ask=on-miss, this could satisfy allowlist checks and skip operator approval, while GNU sort may invoke an external program via --compress-program.

Affected Packages / Versions

• Ecosystem: npm
• Package: openclaw
• Affected: <= 2026.2.21-2
• Patched (planned next release): >= 2026.2.22

Default Installations

Default installs are not impacted by this specific path because sort is not included in default tools.exec.safeBins.

Impact

• Type: approval/allowlist bypass in optional safe-bin configuration
• Scope: deployments that explicitly include sort in tools.exec.safeBins and use allowlist + ask=on-miss
• Consequence: an external program may run under the OpenClaw process context without expected approval

Technical Details

• sort safe-bin profile allowed --compress-program as a value flag.
• Safe-bin satisfaction could therefore mark allowlist checks as satisfied.
• In ask=on-miss, satisfied allowlist checks skip approval prompts.

Fix

• Block --compress-program in safe-bin sort policy.
• Add unit and e2e regression coverage for sort --compress-program denial in safe-bin mode.

Fix Commit(s)

• 57fbbaebca4d34d17549accf6092ae26eb7b605c

OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.