GHSA-xf99-j42q-5w5p
HIGHGHSA-xf99-j42q-5w5p is a high-severity (CVSS 7.3) CWE-367 vulnerability in openclaw. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-xf99-j42q-5w5p is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
OpenClaw: Unbound interpreter and runtime commands could bypass node-host approval integrity
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
In affected versions of openclaw, node-host system.run approvals could still execute rewritten local code for interpreter and runtime commands when OpenClaw could not bind exactly one concrete local file operand during approval planning.
Impact
Deployments using node-host system.run approval mode could approve a benign local script and then execute different local code if that script changed before execution. This can lead to unintended local code execution as the OpenClaw runtime user.
Affected Packages and Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Affected versions:
<= 2026.3.8 - Fixed in:
2026.3.11
Technical Details
The approval flow treated some interpreter and runtime forms as approval-backed even when it could not honestly bind a single direct local script file. That left residual approval-integrity gaps for runtime forms outside the directly bound file set.
Fix
OpenClaw now fails closed for approval-backed interpreter and runtime commands unless it can bind exactly one concrete local file operand, and it extends best-effort direct-file binding for additional runtime forms. The fix shipped in [email protected].
Workarounds
Upgrade to 2026.3.11 or later.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.3.11 |
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 2026.3.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xf99-j42q-5w5p 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-xf99-j42q-5w5p 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-xf99-j42q-5w5p. 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-xf99-j42q-5w5p in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-xf99-j42q-5w5p across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.