GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh: Openclaw OpenClaw Has Agent Avatar Symlink Vulnerability

MODERATE
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CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh is a MODERATE openclaw has agent avatar symlink vulnerability (CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw has agent avatar symlink traversal in gateway session metadata. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.22.

GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh

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: 2026.2.22 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.22
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-9mph-4f7v-fmvh, 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 2026.2.22), 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-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following'), where the product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended 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 A crafted local avatar path could follow a symlink outside the agent workspace and return arbitrary file contents as a base64 `data:` URL in gateway responses. ## Impact - Confidentiality impact: local file read in the gateway process context. - Exfiltration path: `agents.list` can return the resulting `avatarUrl` payload. ## Affected Components - `src/gateway/session-utils.ts` (`resolveIdentityAvatarUrl`) ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Introduced: `v2026.1.21` - Affected published versions: `<= 2026.2.21-2` - Planned patched version: `2026.2.22` ## Remediation - Resolve workspace and avatar paths with `realpath` and enforce realpath containment. - Open files with `O_NOFOLLOW` when available. - Compare pre-open and opened file identity (`dev`/`ino`) to block swap races. - Add regression tests for outside-workspace symlink rejection and in-workspace symlink allowance. ## Fix Commit(s) - `3d0337504349954237d09e4d957df5cb844d5e77` OpenClaw thanks @aether-ai-agent for reporting.

GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.22
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.22
2026.2.22

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/3d0337504349954237d09e4d957df5cb844d5e77
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh?
GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw has agent avatar symlink traversal in gateway session metadata under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following').
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.22 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh?
Upgrading to 2026.2.22 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.22. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.22 or later.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh?
GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh is classified under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') (The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh?
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-9mph-4f7v-fmvh",
  "modified" : "2026-03-04T19:02:59Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-04T19:02:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw has agent avatar symlink traversal in gateway session metadata",
  "details" : "## Summary\nA crafted local avatar path could follow a symlink outside the agent workspace and return arbitrary file contents as a base64 `data:` URL in gateway responses.\n\n## Impact\n- Confidentiality impact: local file read in the gateway process context.\n- Exfiltration path: `agents.list` can return the resulting `avatarUrl` payload.\n\n## Affected Components\n- `src/gateway/session-utils.ts` (`resolveIdentityAvatarUrl`)\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Introduced: `v2026.1.21`\n- Affected published versions: `<= 2026.2.21-2`\n- Planned patched version: `2026.2.22`\n\n## Remediation\n- Resolve workspace and avatar paths with `realpath` and enforce realpath containment.\n- Open files with `O_NOFOLLOW` when available.\n- Compare pre-open and opened file identity (`dev`/`ino`) to block swap races.\n- Add regression tests for outside-workspace symlink rejection and in-workspace symlink allowance.\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n- `3d0337504349954237d09e4d957df5cb844d5e77`\n\nOpenClaw thanks @aether-ai-agent for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.22"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-9mph-4f7v-fmvh"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/3d0337504349954237d09e4d957df5cb844d5e77"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-04T19:02:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}