GHSA-x9cf-3w63-rpq9 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Path Traversal vulnerability in openclaw. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.
OpenClaw vulnerable to sensitive file disclosure via stageSandboxMedia
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- 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-x9cf-3w63-rpq9.
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.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-x9cf-3w63-rpq9 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,238 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
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
When iMessage remote attachment fetching is enabled (channels.imessage.remoteHost), stageSandboxMedia accepted arbitrary absolute paths and used SCP to copy them into local staging.
If a non-attachment path reaches this flow, files outside expected iMessage attachment directories on the remote host can be staged.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw - Affected: up to and including
2026.2.17(latest npm version as of February 19, 2026) - Fixed: pending next release with remote attachment path validation
Impact
Confidentiality impact. An attacker who can influence inbound attachment path metadata may disclose files readable by the OpenClaw process on the configured remote host.
Attack Preconditions
- iMessage attachments enabled (
channels.imessage.includeAttachments=true), and - remote attachment mode active (
channels.imessage.remoteHostconfigured or auto-detected), and - attacker can inject/tamper with attachment path metadata.
Given these preconditions, this advisory is assessed as medium severity.
Fix Commit(s)
1316e5740382926e45a42097b4bfe0aef7d63e8e
Release Process Note
patched_versions should be set to the next released npm version that includes remote attachment path validation, then the advisory can be published.
Mitigation
- Upgrade to the first release that includes remote attachment path validation.
- If remote attachments are not required, disable iMessage attachment ingestion.
- Run OpenClaw under least privilege on the remote host.
OpenClaw thanks @zpbrent for reporting.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.2.19npm install openclaw@2026.2.19 |
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 2026.2.19 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-x9cf-3w63-rpq9 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-x9cf-3w63-rpq9 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-x9cf-3w63-rpq9. 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-x9cf-3w63-rpq9 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-x9cf-3w63-rpq9 across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.