GHSA-vfp4-8x56-j7c5 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) vulnerability in openclaw. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-vfp4-8x56-j7c5 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
OpenClaw: Exec environment denylist missed high-risk interpreter startup variables
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
Exec environment denylist missed high-risk interpreter startup variables.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw - Ecosystem: npm
- Affected versions:
< 2026.4.10 - Patched versions:
>= 2026.4.10
Impact
The exec environment policy missed interpreter startup variables such as VIMINIT, EXINIT, LUA_INIT, and HOSTALIASES, allowing operator-supplied environment overrides to influence downstream execution or network behavior.
Technical Details
The fix expands the host environment security policy denylist to cover these and related high-risk environment variables, with regression coverage.
Fix
The issue was fixed in #63277. The first stable tag containing the fix is v2026.4.10, and [email protected] includes the fix.
Fix Commit(s)
2d126fc62343a7b6895351f96e4e1474bc358140- PR: #63277
Release Process Note
Users should upgrade to openclaw 2026.4.10 or newer. The latest npm release, 2026.4.14, already includes the fix.
Credits
Thanks to @feiyang666 of Tencent zhuque Lab (https://github.com/Tencent/AI-Infra-Guard) for reporting this issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.4.10 |
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 2026.4.10 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-vfp4-8x56-j7c5 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-vfp4-8x56-j7c5 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-vfp4-8x56-j7c5. 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-vfp4-8x56-j7c5 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-vfp4-8x56-j7c5 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.