GHSA-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-706 vulnerability in openclaw. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
OpenClaw's system.run allowlist can be bypassed through an unregistered time dispatch wrapper
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
Allow-always exec approvals did not unwrap /usr/bin/time, so an unregistered time wrapper could bypass executable binding and reuse approval state for the inner command.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Affected: < 2026.3.22
- Fixed: >= 2026.3.22
- Latest released tag checked:
v2026.3.23-2(630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87) - Latest published npm version checked:
2026.3.23-2
Fix Commit(s)
39409b6a6dd4239deea682e626bac9ba547bfb14
Release Status
The fix shipped in v2026.3.22 and remains present in v2026.3.23 and v2026.3.23-2.
Code-Level Confirmation
- src/infra/dispatch-wrapper-resolution.ts now unwraps /usr/bin/time and binds approvals to the real inner executable.
- src/infra/exec-approvals-allow-always.test.ts ships regression coverage for time-wrapper allow-always approval bypasses.
OpenClaw thanks @YLChen-007 for reporting.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.3.22 |
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 2026.3.22 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4 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-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4 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-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4. 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-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-qm9x-v7cx-7rq4 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.