GHSA-42mx-vp8m-j7qh is a high-severity (CVSS 7.3) CWE-829 vulnerability in openclaw. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.
OpenClaw: OpenShell `mirror` mode can convert untrusted sandbox files into explicitly enabled workspace hooks and execute them on the host during gateway startup
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-42mx-vp8m-j7qh.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-42mx-vp8m-j7qh plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 379,145 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
openclawnpmDescription
Summary
OpenShell mirror mode can convert untrusted sandbox files into explicitly enabled workspace hooks and execute them on the host during gateway startup
Current Maintainer Triage
- Status: narrow
- Normalized severity: medium
- Assessment: Real on shipped <=2026.3.22 OpenShell mirror sync, but exploit needs mirror mode plus hooks enabled plus explicit hook opt-in plus restart, so high is overstated even though the direct fix shipped in v2026.3.28.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Latest published npm version:
2026.3.31 - Vulnerable version range:
<=2026.3.24 - Patched versions:
>= 2026.3.28 - First stable tag containing the fix:
v2026.3.28
Fix Commit(s)
c02ee8a3a4cb390b23afdf21317aa8b2096854d1— 2026-03-25T19:59:07Z
Release Process Note
- The fix is already present in released version
2026.3.28. - This draft looks ready for final maintainer disposition or publication, not additional code-fix work.
Thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.3.28npm install openclaw@2026.3.28 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openclaw, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update openclaw to 2026.3.28 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-42mx-vp8m-j7qh 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-42mx-vp8m-j7qh can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-42mx-vp8m-j7qh. 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-42mx-vp8m-j7qh in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-42mx-vp8m-j7qh across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.