GHSA-vfg3-pqpq-93m4 — openclaw
Fix: openclaw/openclaw@3cbf932GHSA-vfg3-pqpq-93m4 is a CWE-696 vulnerability in openclaw. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.
OpenClaw: Tlon cite expansion happens before channel and DM authorization is complete
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- 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-vfg3-pqpq-93m4.
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.
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
Tlon cite expansion happened before channel and DM authorization completed, allowing cite work and content handling before the final auth decision.
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)
3cbf932413e41d1836cb91aed1541a28a3122f93ebee4e2210e1f282a982c7ef2ad79d77a572fc87
Release Status
The fix shipped in v2026.3.22 and remains present in v2026.3.23 and v2026.3.23-2.
Code-Level Confirmation
- extensions/tlon/src/monitor/index.ts now defers cite expansion until after authorization and preserves explicit empty-allowlist semantics.
- extensions/tlon/src/monitor/utils.ts and extensions/tlon/src/security.test.ts ship the deferred cite expansion behavior and regressions.
OpenClaw thanks @zpbrent for reporting.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.3.22npm install openclaw@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, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update openclaw to 2026.3.22 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-vfg3-pqpq-93m4 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-vfg3-pqpq-93m4 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-vfg3-pqpq-93m4. 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-vfg3-pqpq-93m4 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-vfg3-pqpq-93m4 across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.