GHSA-3c6h-g97w-fg78 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-184 vulnerability in openclaw. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-3c6h-g97w-fg78 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
OpenClaw's tools.exec.safeBins sort long-option abbreviation bypass can skip exec approval in allowlist mode
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, a proxy for how much of the ecosystem is exposed.
openclawnpmDescription
Summary
In OpenClaw, tools.exec.safeBins validation for sort could be bypassed via GNU long-option abbreviations in allowlist mode, allowing approval-free execution paths that should require approval.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Ecosystem: npm
- Package:
openclaw - Latest published version checked:
2026.2.22-2 - Affected range:
<= 2026.2.22-2 - Fixed version:
2026.2.23
Impact
When all of the following are true:
tools.exec.security=allowlisttools.exec.ask=on-misstools.exec.safeBinsincludessort
abbreviated GNU long options (for example --compress-prog) could bypass denied-flag checks and be treated as allowlist-satisfied safe-bin usage, skipping approval.
Root Cause
Long-option handling matched denied flags by exact string and accepted unknown long options with inline values instead of failing closed.
Fix Commit(s)
3b8e33037ae2e12af7beb56fcf0346f1f8cbde6f
Release Process Note
patched_versions is pre-set to the released version (2026.2.23). This advisory now reflects released fix version 2026.2.23.
OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.2.23 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openclaw. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update openclaw to 2026.2.23 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-3c6h-g97w-fg78 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-3c6h-g97w-fg78 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-3c6h-g97w-fg78. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-3c6h-g97w-fg78 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-3c6h-g97w-fg78 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.