GHSA-x2cm-hg9c-mf5w is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.3) CWE-862 vulnerability in openclaw. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-x2cm-hg9c-mf5w is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
OpenClaw leaf subagents can bypass controlScope restrictions to send messages to child sessions
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
Leaf subagents could still use the send action to message controlled child sessions even when their controlScope was narrower than children.
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)
7679eb375294941b02214c234aff3948796969d0
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/auto-reply/reply/commands-subagents/action-send.ts now threads controller context through the send path.
- src/agents/subagent-control.ts now blocks send attempts unless the requester owns the target and has controlScope="children".
OpenClaw thanks @space08 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-x2cm-hg9c-mf5w 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-x2cm-hg9c-mf5w 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-x2cm-hg9c-mf5w. 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-x2cm-hg9c-mf5w in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-x2cm-hg9c-mf5w across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.