GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff: OpenClaw Leaf Subagents Could Steer Sibling Vulnerability

HIGH
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) leaf subagents could steer sibling vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves leaf subagents could steer sibling sessions across sandbox boundaries. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.11.

GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff

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: 2026.3.11 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.11
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-4w7m-58cg-cmff, 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 2026.3.11), 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-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. 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 affected versions of `openclaw`, sandboxed leaf subagents could still access the `subagents` control surface and resolve against the parent requester scope instead of remaining confined to their own session tree. ## Impact A low-privilege sandboxed leaf worker could steer or kill a sibling run owned by the same requester and cause that sibling to execute with its own broader tool policy. This is a sandbox and session-scope boundary bypass. ## Affected Packages and Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.8` - Fixed in: `2026.3.11` ## Technical Details Leaf subagents retained the `subagents` tool, and subagent control requests were authorized against the parent requester scope rather than the caller's own spawned descendants. The control path prevented only self-targeting, not cross-sibling steering. ## Fix OpenClaw now removes `subagents` control access from leaf subagents by default, scopes subagent control to the caller's own descendants, and rejects `steer` and `kill` requests that target runs outside that descendant tree. The fix shipped in `openclaw@2026.3.11`. ## Workarounds Upgrade to `2026.3.11` or later.

GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.11
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.11
2026.3.11

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
OpenClaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.11

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff?
GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Leaf subagents could steer sibling sessions across sandbox boundaries under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.11 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff?
Upgrading to 2026.3.11 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.11. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.11 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff?
GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff?
GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff?
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-4w7m-58cg-cmff",
  "modified" : "2026-03-13T15:47:35Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-13T15:47:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Leaf subagents could steer sibling sessions across sandbox boundaries",
  "details" : "## Summary\nIn affected versions of `openclaw`, sandboxed leaf subagents could still access the `subagents` control surface and resolve against the parent requester scope instead of remaining confined to their own session tree.\n\n## Impact\nA low-privilege sandboxed leaf worker could steer or kill a sibling run owned by the same requester and cause that sibling to execute with its own broader tool policy. This is a sandbox and session-scope boundary bypass.\n\n## Affected Packages and Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.8`\n- Fixed in: `2026.3.11`\n\n## Technical Details\nLeaf subagents retained the `subagents` tool, and subagent control requests were authorized against the parent requester scope rather than the caller's own spawned descendants. The control path prevented only self-targeting, not cross-sibling steering.\n\n## Fix\nOpenClaw now removes `subagents` control access from leaf subagents by default, scopes subagent control to the caller's own descendants, and rejects `steer` and `kill` requests that target runs outside that descendant tree. The fix shipped in `openclaw@2026.3.11`.\n\n## Workarounds\nUpgrade to `2026.3.11` or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-4w7m-58cg-cmff"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.11"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-13T15:47:34Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}