OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant. Prior to version 2026.2.15, normalizeForHash in src/agents/sandbox/config-hash.ts recursively sorted arrays that contained only primitive values. This made order-sensitive sandbox configuration arrays hash to the same value even when order changed. In OpenClaw sandbox flows, this hash is used to decide whether existing sandbox containers should be recreated. As a result, order-only config changes (for example Docker dns and binds array order) could be treated as unchanged and stale containers could be reused. This is a configuration integrity issue affecting sandbox recreation behavior. Starting in version 2026.2.15, array ordering is preserved during hash normalization; only object key ordering remains normalized for deterministic hashing.
Weakness
The product’s comparison logic is performed over a series of steps rather than across the entire string in one operation. If there is a comparison logic failure on one of these steps, the operation may be vulnerable to a timing attack that can result in the interception of the process for nefarious purposes.
Extended Description
Comparison logic is used to compare a variety of objects including passwords, Message Authentication Codes (MACs), and responses to verification challenges. When comparison logic is implemented at a finer granularity (e.g., byte-by-byte comparison) and breaks in the case of a comparison failure, an attacker can exploit this implementation to identify when exactly the failure occurred. With multiple attempts, the attacker may be able to guesses the correct password/response to challenge and elevate their privileges.
Potential Mitigations
- The hardware designer should ensure that comparison logic is implemented so as to compare in one operation instead in smaller chunks.