fix(security): recognize localized Windows SYSTEM account in ACL audit by ningding97 · Pull Request #29698 · openclaw/openclaw

ningding97 · 2026-02-28T10:59:21Z

Problem

On non-English Windows (e.g. French fr-FR locale), the security audit reports a false positive for fs.config.perms_writable because the SYSTEM account is named AUTORITE NT\Système instead of NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. The ACL checker fails to recognize it as a trusted principal.

Changes

Add localized SYSTEM names to TRUSTED_BASE: French (AUTORITE NT\Système), German (NT-AUTORITÄT\SYSTEM), Spanish (AUTORIDAD NT\SYSTEM), Portuguese (AUTORIDADE NT\SYSTEM)
Add \système suffix to TRUSTED_SUFFIXES for French locale matching
Diacritics-stripping fallback in classifyPrincipal: normalizes Unicode (NFD + strip combining marks) and re-checks against trusted sets, catching any locale not explicitly listed
Use SID *S-1-5-18 in formatIcaclsResetCommand and createIcaclsResetCommand instead of hardcoded "SYSTEM" string — SID references work on all Windows locales

Tests

Added tests for French, German, Spanish localized SYSTEM classification
Added full-scenario test (French user + Système = all trusted)
Added test verifying SID usage in reset commands
All 40 tests pass

chatgpt-codex-connector

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit: 23891964e8

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Codex has been enabled to automatically review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

Open a pull request for review
Mark a draft as ready
Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

When you sign up for Codex through ChatGPT, Codex can also answer questions or update the PR, like "@codex address that feedback".

chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-02-28T11:03:50Z

src/security/windows-acl.ts

+      TRUSTED_SUFFIXES.some((suffix) => {
+        const strippedSuffix = suffix
+          .normalize("NFD")
+          .replace(/[\u0300-\u036f]/g, "");
+        return stripped.endsWith(strippedSuffix);


Avoid trusting diacritic variants of privileged suffixes

The new diacritics fallback trusts any principal whose accent-stripped name ends with a trusted suffix, so non-privileged accounts like CORP\\Admīnistrators or CORP\\Système will now be classified as trusted even though they are not the built-in admin/SYSTEM identities. In environments where such similarly named domain/local principals exist, this can suppress fs.config.perms_writable findings and hide writable ACL exposure that was previously reported.

Useful? React with 👍 / 👎.

greptile-apps · 2026-02-28T11:04:28Z

Greptile Summary

This PR fixes a false positive security audit issue on non-English Windows systems where the SYSTEM account has localized names. The implementation correctly addresses the problem through three complementary strategies:

Explicit localized names: Adds French (AUTORITE NT\Système), German (NT-AUTORITÄT\SYSTEM), Spanish (AUTORIDAD NT\SYSTEM), and Portuguese (AUTORIDADE NT\SYSTEM) to the trusted base set
Diacritics-stripping fallback: Implements Unicode normalization (NFD) to handle locale variants not explicitly listed by stripping combining diacritical marks and rechecking against trusted patterns
SID-based reset commands: Uses the locale-independent SID *S-1-5-18 instead of the hardcoded string "SYSTEM" in icacls reset commands, ensuring commands work across all Windows locales

The changes are well-tested with new test cases covering French, German, and Spanish variants, plus a full-scenario integration test. The diacritics-stripping logic is particularly clever, providing robustness against unknown locale variants while maintaining security. All formatting changes are automatic (likely from Prettier) and don't affect functionality.

Confidence Score: 5/5

This PR is safe to merge with minimal risk
The implementation is sound and well-tested. The three-pronged approach (explicit localized names, diacritics fallback, and SID usage) correctly handles the Windows localization issue. The diacritics-stripping logic using NFD normalization is properly implemented to catch edge cases. All 40 tests pass, including new tests specifically for the localized variants. The changes are backwards-compatible and don't modify any existing security assumptions. The only formatting changes are automatic and don't introduce any functional issues.
No files require special attention

_{Last reviewed commit: 2389196}

chatgpt-codex-connector

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit: bdf23c8504

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Codex has been enabled to automatically review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

Open a pull request for review
Mark a draft as ready
Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

When you sign up for Codex through ChatGPT, Codex can also answer questions or update the PR, like "@codex address that feedback".

chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-03-02T13:09:36Z

src/security/windows-acl.ts

+      TRUSTED_SUFFIXES.some((suffix) => {
+        const strippedSuffix = suffix
+          .normalize("NFD")
+          .replace(/[\u0300-\u036f]/g, "");
+        return stripped.endsWith(strippedSuffix);


Limit accent-stripped trusted suffix matching to known principals

The diacritic fallback treats any principal whose accent-stripped name ends with a trusted suffix as trusted, so names like CORP\\Admīnistrators (or other accented variants of privileged suffixes) are now classified as trusted even when they are ordinary domain/local accounts. In inspectPathPermissions, those entries then drop out of untrustedGroup, which can suppress groupWritable/fs.config.perms_writable findings and hide writable ACL exposure on affected Windows environments.

Useful? React with 👍 / 👎.

chatgpt-codex-connector

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit: 7bc3e6b0c2

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Codex has been enabled to automatically review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

Open a pull request for review
Mark a draft as ready
Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

When you sign up for Codex through ChatGPT, Codex can also answer questions or update the PR, like "@codex address that feedback".

chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-03-02T14:00:09Z

src/security/windows-acl.ts

 ]);
 const WORLD_SUFFIXES = ["\\users", "\\authenticated users"];
-const TRUSTED_SUFFIXES = ["\\administrators", "\\system"];
+const TRUSTED_SUFFIXES = ["\\administrators", "\\system", "\\système"];


Restrict French SYSTEM suffix trust to built-in identity

Adding "\\système" to TRUSTED_SUFFIXES makes classifyPrincipal trust any ACL principal whose name ends with that suffix, not just the built-in SYSTEM account (for example, CORP\\Système). In Windows ACL audits, those entries are removed from untrustedGroup, which can suppress groupWritable/fs.config.perms_writable findings and hide writable ACL exposure on French-localized hosts where similarly named non-privileged accounts exist.

Useful? React with 👍 / 👎.

On non-English Windows (e.g. French "AUTORITE NT\Système"), the security audit falsely reports fs.config.perms_writable because the localized SYSTEM account name is not recognized as trusted. Changes: - Add common localized SYSTEM principal names (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese) to TRUSTED_BASE - Add diacritics-stripping fallback in classifyPrincipal for unhandled locales - Use well-known SID *S-1-5-18 in icacls reset commands instead of hardcoded "SYSTEM" string for locale independence Fixes openclaw#29681

chatgpt-codex-connector

💡 Codex Review

Here are some automated review suggestions for this pull request.

Reviewed commit: c9a275cda4

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Codex has been enabled to automatically review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

Open a pull request for review
Mark a draft as ready
Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

When you sign up for Codex through ChatGPT, Codex can also answer questions or update the PR, like "@codex address that feedback".

chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-03-02T14:42:40Z

src/security/windows-acl.ts

+      TRUSTED_SUFFIXES.some((suffix) => {
+        const strippedSuffix = suffix.normalize("NFD").replace(/[\u0300-\u036f]/g, "");
+        return stripped.endsWith(strippedSuffix);


Narrow diacritic trusted-suffix matching

This fallback now strips diacritics and then applies suffix trust to every entry in TRUSTED_SUFFIXES, so non-built-in principals like CORP\\Admīnistrators or CORP\\Système are reclassified as trusted. That is a regression from the previous behavior for accented lookalikes, and it can hide writable ACL findings because summarizeWindowsAcl removes those entries from untrustedGroup before audit-fs computes groupWritable. Fresh evidence in this commit is the new stripped-suffix check at this location, which newly broadens trust beyond exact localized SYSTEM names.

Useful? React with 👍 / 👎.

openclaw#29698) * fix(security): recognize localized Windows SYSTEM account in ACL audit On non-English Windows (e.g. French "AUTORITE NT\Système"), the security audit falsely reports fs.config.perms_writable because the localized SYSTEM account name is not recognized as trusted. Changes: - Add common localized SYSTEM principal names (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese) to TRUSTED_BASE - Add diacritics-stripping fallback in classifyPrincipal for unhandled locales - Use well-known SID *S-1-5-18 in icacls reset commands instead of hardcoded "SYSTEM" string for locale independence Fixes openclaw#29681 * style: format windows acl files --------- Co-authored-by: Tak Hoffman <781889+Takhoffman@users.noreply.github.com>

#29698) * fix(security): recognize localized Windows SYSTEM account in ACL audit On non-English Windows (e.g. French "AUTORITE NT\Système"), the security audit falsely reports fs.config.perms_writable because the localized SYSTEM account name is not recognized as trusted. Changes: - Add common localized SYSTEM principal names (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese) to TRUSTED_BASE - Add diacritics-stripping fallback in classifyPrincipal for unhandled locales - Use well-known SID *S-1-5-18 in icacls reset commands instead of hardcoded "SYSTEM" string for locale independence Fixes #29681 * style: format windows acl files --------- Co-authored-by: Tak Hoffman <781889+Takhoffman@users.noreply.github.com>

openclaw#29698) * fix(security): recognize localized Windows SYSTEM account in ACL audit On non-English Windows (e.g. French "AUTORITE NT\Système"), the security audit falsely reports fs.config.perms_writable because the localized SYSTEM account name is not recognized as trusted. Changes: - Add common localized SYSTEM principal names (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese) to TRUSTED_BASE - Add diacritics-stripping fallback in classifyPrincipal for unhandled locales - Use well-known SID *S-1-5-18 in icacls reset commands instead of hardcoded "SYSTEM" string for locale independence Fixes openclaw#29681 * style: format windows acl files --------- Co-authored-by: Tak Hoffman <781889+Takhoffman@users.noreply.github.com>

openclaw-barnacle bot added the size: M label Feb 28, 2026

chatgpt-codex-connector bot reviewed Feb 28, 2026

View reviewed changes

chatgpt-codex-connector bot reviewed Mar 2, 2026

View reviewed changes

Takhoffman force-pushed the fix/windows-acl-localized-system branch from bdf23c8 to 7bc3e6b Compare March 2, 2026 13:55

openclaw-barnacle bot added size: S and removed size: M labels Mar 2, 2026

chatgpt-codex-connector bot reviewed Mar 2, 2026

View reviewed changes

This was referenced Mar 2, 2026

fix(slack): type message.channels/group handlers #31758

Merged

test(windows): fix exec wrapper tsgo gate regression #31771

Merged

ningding97 and others added 2 commits March 2, 2026 08:33

style: format windows acl files

c9a275c

Takhoffman force-pushed the fix/windows-acl-localized-system branch from 7bc3e6b to c9a275c Compare March 2, 2026 14:38

Takhoffman merged commit 944abe0 into openclaw:main Mar 2, 2026
6 checks passed

chatgpt-codex-connector bot reviewed Mar 2, 2026

View reviewed changes

vabole mentioned this pull request Mar 2, 2026

ops: decision needed for upstream sync (4 disputed files) vabole/openclaw#7

Merged

4 tasks

steipete mentioned this pull request Mar 2, 2026

fix(security): trust localized SYSTEM ACL aliases on Windows #31817

Closed

18 tasks

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

Uh oh!

fix(security): recognize localized Windows SYSTEM account in ACL audit#29698

fix(security): recognize localized Windows SYSTEM account in ACL audit#29698
Takhoffman merged 2 commits intoopenclaw:mainfrom
ningding97:fix/windows-acl-localized-system

ningding97 commented Feb 28, 2026

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot left a comment

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot Feb 28, 2026

Uh oh!

greptile-apps bot commented Feb 28, 2026

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot left a comment

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot Mar 2, 2026

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot left a comment

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot Mar 2, 2026

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot left a comment

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot Mar 2, 2026

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

2 participants

Uh oh!

Conversation

ningding97 commented Feb 28, 2026

Problem

Changes

Tests

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

💡 Codex Review

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot Feb 28, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

greptile-apps bot commented Feb 28, 2026

Greptile Summary

Confidence Score: 5/5

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

💡 Codex Review

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot Mar 2, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

💡 Codex Review

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot Mar 2, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

💡 Codex Review

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot Mar 2, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

2 participants