GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m: OpenClaw Sandbox Dangling-symlink Alias Handling Could Vulnerability

HIGH
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CVSS 7.0
CWE-367 CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m is a HIGH (CVSS 7.0) sandbox dangling-symlink alias handling could vulnerability (CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves sandbox dangling-symlink alias handling could bypass workspace-only write boundary. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.26.

GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.0
CWE Classification CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.0

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

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

How to Fix GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m

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: 2026.2.26 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.26
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-qcc4-p59m-p54m, 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 2026.2.26), 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-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition, where the product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check. 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 sandbox boundary-validation gap in symlink alias handling allowed certain workspace-only write paths to be treated as in-boundary even when they could resolve outside the workspace/sandbox root. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: npm `openclaw` - Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.25` - Latest published npm version included in affected range: `2026.2.25` (checked on February 26, 2026) - Patched version (pre-set for release): `2026.2.26` ### Technical Details In affected versions, dangling symlink hops could be accepted during boundary checks under missing-target conditions. For workspace-only write flows (including `apply_patch`), this could allow writes to resolve outside the configured workspace/sandbox boundary. The fix resolves symlink targets through existing ancestors and fails closed when canonical resolution escapes the configured boundary. ### Impact - Boundary-confined write operations could be redirected outside the configured workspace/sandbox root. - Primary impact is integrity of host-side files reachable from that path resolution. ### Fix Commit(s) - `4fd29a35bb85a1898ebff518364c467058b50e14` ### Release Process Note `patched_versions` is pre-set to the planned next release (`2026.2.26`) so once npm `2026.2.26` is published, the advisory can be published without further field edits. Thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.26
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.26
2026.2.26

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/4fd29a35bb85a1898ebff518364c467058b50e14
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m?
GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Sandbox dangling-symlink alias handling could bypass workspace-only write boundary under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.26 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m?
Upgrading to 2026.2.26 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.26. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.26 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m?
GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.0 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m?
GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m is classified under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition (The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m?
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-qcc4-p59m-p54m",
  "modified" : "2026-03-12T14:21:54Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-12T14:21:54Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Sandbox dangling-symlink alias handling could bypass workspace-only write boundary",
  "details" : "### Summary\nA sandbox boundary-validation gap in symlink alias handling allowed certain workspace-only write paths to be treated as in-boundary even when they could resolve outside the workspace/sandbox root.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: npm `openclaw`\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.25`\n- Latest published npm version included in affected range: `2026.2.25` (checked on February 26, 2026)\n- Patched version (pre-set for release): `2026.2.26`\n\n### Technical Details\nIn affected versions, dangling symlink hops could be accepted during boundary checks under missing-target conditions. For workspace-only write flows (including `apply_patch`), this could allow writes to resolve outside the configured workspace/sandbox boundary.\n\nThe fix resolves symlink targets through existing ancestors and fails closed when canonical resolution escapes the configured boundary.\n\n### Impact\n- Boundary-confined write operations could be redirected outside the configured workspace/sandbox root.\n- Primary impact is integrity of host-side files reachable from that path resolution.\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n- `4fd29a35bb85a1898ebff518364c467058b50e14`\n\n### Release Process Note\n`patched_versions` is pre-set to the planned next release (`2026.2.26`) so once npm `2026.2.26` is published, the advisory can be published without further field edits.\n\nThanks @tdjackey for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.26"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.2.25"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-qcc4-p59m-p54m"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/4fd29a35bb85a1898ebff518364c467058b50e14"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-367", "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-12T14:21:54Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}