GHSA-5wcw-8jjv-m286
HIGHOpenClaw: Untrusted web origins can obtain authenticated operator.admin access in trusted-proxy mode
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.
Blast Radius
Weekly download volume for affected packages — a proxy for how broadly this vulnerability is deployed.
openclawnpmDescription
Summary
In affected versions of openclaw, browser-originated WebSocket connections could bypass origin validation when gateway.auth.mode was set to trusted-proxy and the request arrived with proxy headers. A page served from an untrusted origin could connect through a trusted reverse proxy, inherit proxy-authenticated identity, and establish a privileged operator session.
Impact
This issue affects deployments that expose the Gateway behind a trusted reverse proxy and rely on browser origin checks such as controlUi.allowedOrigins to restrict browser access. An attacker who can cause a victim browser to load a malicious page that can reach the proxy endpoint could establish a cross-site WebSocket connection and call privileged Gateway methods.
In verified impact, the attacker-origin page was able to request operator.admin and successfully call config.get, exposing sensitive configuration. Depending on the deployment, the same authenticated operator path could also permit other privileged reads or mutations available to operator-class callers.
Affected Packages and Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Affected versions:
< 2026.3.11 - Fixed in:
2026.3.11
Technical Details
The WebSocket handshake logic treated proxy-delivered requests as exempt from the generic browser origin check whenever an Origin header was present alongside proxy headers. In trusted-proxy mode, that exemption allowed browser-originated connections to skip the normal origin-validation path even though they were still browser requests.
Because trusted-proxy authentication can produce a shared authenticated operator context, the affected path could retain requested operator scopes after the handshake. That made the browser origin check the missing boundary between an untrusted origin and an authenticated operator-class session.
Fix
OpenClaw now enforces browser origin validation for any browser-originated WebSocket connection regardless of whether proxy headers are present. The fix shipped in [email protected].
Fixed commit: ebed3bbde1a72a1aaa9b87b63b91e7c04a50036b
Release tag: v2026.3.11
Workarounds
Upgrade to 2026.3.11 or later.
If you cannot upgrade immediately, avoid exposing browser-reachable Gateway WebSocket endpoints in trusted-proxy mode to untrusted origins, and ensure reverse-proxy/browser reachability is restricted to trusted origins only.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.3.11 |
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 2026.3.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-5wcw-8jjv-m286 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-5wcw-8jjv-m286 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-5wcw-8jjv-m286. 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-5wcw-8jjv-m286 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-5wcw-8jjv-m286 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.