GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496: OpenClaw Hardlink Alias Checks Could Bypass Vulnerability

HIGH
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CWE-668 CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496 is a HIGH hardlink alias checks could bypass vulnerability (CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves hardlink alias checks could bypass workspace-only file boundaries in specific configurations. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.25.

GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496 at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected OpenClaw dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

openclaw fixed: 2026.2.25 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.25
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls openclaw

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls openclaw

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of OpenClaw in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2026.2.25), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls openclaw command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere, where the product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource. In OpenClaw, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Summary In certain workspace-restricted configurations, OpenClaw could follow hardlink aliases inside the workspace that reference files outside the workspace boundary. By default, `tools.fs.workspaceOnly` is off. This primarily affects deployments that intentionally enable workspace-only filesystem restrictions (and workspace-only `apply_patch` checks). ### Impact - Confidentiality: out-of-workspace files could be read through in-workspace hardlink aliases. - Integrity: out-of-workspace files could be modified through in-workspace hardlink aliases. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Latest published version at triage time: `2026.2.24` - Affected range: `<= 2026.2.24` - Planned patched version: `2026.2.25` ### Fix Commit(s) - `04d91d0319b82fd4de91ed05e9fc5219ff2ab64e` (main) ### Remediation OpenClaw now rejects hardlinked final-file aliases during workspace boundary validation for: - workspace-only path checks (`read` / `write` / `edit`) - workspace-only `apply_patch` read/write paths - sandbox mount-root path-safety checks Regression tests were added for `apply_patch`, workspace fs tools, and sandbox fs bridge hardlink alias escapes. OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.25
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.25
2026.2.25

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/04d91d0319b82fd4de91ed05e9fc5219ff2ab64e
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496?
GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Hardlink alias checks could bypass workspace-only file boundaries in specific configurations under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.25 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496?
Upgrading to 2026.2.25 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.25. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.25 or later.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496?
GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496 is classified under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere (The product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls openclaw'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496",
  "modified" : "2026-03-04T19:21:04Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-04T19:21:04Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Hardlink alias checks could bypass workspace-only file boundaries in specific configurations",
  "details" : "### Summary\nIn certain workspace-restricted configurations, OpenClaw could follow hardlink aliases inside the workspace that reference files outside the workspace boundary.\n\nBy default, `tools.fs.workspaceOnly` is off. This primarily affects deployments that intentionally enable workspace-only filesystem restrictions (and workspace-only `apply_patch` checks).\n\n### Impact\n- Confidentiality: out-of-workspace files could be read through in-workspace hardlink aliases.\n- Integrity: out-of-workspace files could be modified through in-workspace hardlink aliases.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Latest published version at triage time: `2026.2.24`\n- Affected range: `<= 2026.2.24`\n- Planned patched version: `2026.2.25`\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n- `04d91d0319b82fd4de91ed05e9fc5219ff2ab64e` (main)\n\n### Remediation\nOpenClaw now rejects hardlinked final-file aliases during workspace boundary validation for:\n- workspace-only path checks (`read` / `write` / `edit`)\n- workspace-only `apply_patch` read/write paths\n- sandbox mount-root path-safety checks\n\nRegression tests were added for `apply_patch`, workspace fs tools, and sandbox fs bridge hardlink alias escapes.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.25"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.2.24"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-3jx4-q2m7-r496"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/04d91d0319b82fd4de91ed05e9fc5219ff2ab64e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-59", "CWE-668" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-04T19:21:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}