GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679: Openclaw OpenClaw Has Multiple E2E/test Dockerfiles Vulnerability

HIGH
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CWE-250
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679 is a HIGH openclaw has multiple e2e/test dockerfiles vulnerability (CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw has multiple e2e/test dockerfiles that run all processes as root. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.21.

GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679 at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679

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: 2026.2.21 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.21
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-w7j5-j98m-w679, 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 2026.2.21), 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-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges, where the product performs an operation at a privilege level that is higher than the minimum level required, which creates new weaknesses or amplifies the consequences of other weaknesses. 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

Three Dockerfiles in scripts/docker/ and scripts/e2e/ lack a USER directive, meaning all processes run as uid 0 (root). If any process is compromised, the attacker has root inside the container, making container breakout significantly easier. **Partial fix (2026-02-08):** Commit 28e1a65e added USER sandbox to Dockerfile.sandbox and Dockerfile.sandbox-browser. The E2E/test Dockerfiles listed below remain unpatched. **Affected components:** - scripts/e2e/Dockerfile - scripts/e2e/Dockerfile.qr-import - scripts/docker/install-sh-e2e/Dockerfile - scripts/docker/install-sh-nonroot/Dockerfile (runs as app but with NOPASSWD sudo — see related advisory) **Technical Reproduction:** 1. Open each Dockerfile listed above and search for a USER directive — none found. 2. Run any of these containers: docker run --rm -it <image> id 3. Observe: returns uid=0(root). **Demonstrated Impact:** - Root inside the container enables kernel exploit attempts, volume mount abuse, and privileged syscall access. - Test images share the same base (node:22-bookworm) as production, creating risk of accidental deployment of root-running images. **Environment:** Base images node:22-bookworm and node:22-bookworm-slim default to root. Dockerfile.sandbox and Dockerfile.sandbox-browser were remediated in commit 28e1a65e; only the E2E/test images listed above remain affected. **Remediation:** Add a USER directive before CMD/ENTRYPOINT in each remaining Dockerfile: RUN useradd --create-home --shell /bin/bash appuser USER appuser

GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.21
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.21
2026.2.21

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/28e1a65ebc580f07533966f5693f4df0a18d7085
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679?
GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw has multiple E2E/test Dockerfiles that run all processes as root under CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.21 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679?
Upgrading to 2026.2.21 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.21. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.21 or later.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679?
GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679 is classified under CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges (The product performs an operation at a privilege level that is higher than the minimum level required, which creates new weaknesses or amplifies the consequences of other weaknesses.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679?
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-w7j5-j98m-w679",
  "modified" : "2026-03-03T22:25:13Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-03T22:25:13Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw has multiple E2E/test Dockerfiles that run all processes as root",
  "details" : "Three Dockerfiles in scripts/docker/ and scripts/e2e/ lack a USER directive, meaning all processes run as uid 0 (root). If any process is compromised, the attacker has root inside the container, making container breakout significantly easier.\n**Partial fix (2026-02-08):** Commit 28e1a65e added USER sandbox to Dockerfile.sandbox and Dockerfile.sandbox-browser. The E2E/test Dockerfiles listed below remain unpatched.\n\n**Affected components:**\n- scripts/e2e/Dockerfile\n- scripts/e2e/Dockerfile.qr-import\n- scripts/docker/install-sh-e2e/Dockerfile\n- scripts/docker/install-sh-nonroot/Dockerfile (runs as app but with NOPASSWD sudo — see related advisory)\n\n**Technical Reproduction:**\n1. Open each Dockerfile listed above and search for a USER directive — none found.\n2. Run any of these containers: docker run --rm -it <image> id\n3. Observe: returns uid=0(root).\n\n**Demonstrated Impact:**\n- Root inside the container enables kernel exploit attempts, volume mount abuse, and privileged syscall access.\n- Test images share the same base (node:22-bookworm) as production, creating risk of accidental deployment of root-running images.\n\n**Environment:** Base images node:22-bookworm and node:22-bookworm-slim default to root. Dockerfile.sandbox and Dockerfile.sandbox-browser were remediated in commit 28e1a65e; only the E2E/test images listed above remain affected.\n\n**Remediation:** Add a USER directive before CMD/ENTRYPOINT in each remaining Dockerfile:\n  RUN useradd --create-home --shell /bin/bash appuser\n  USER appuser",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.21"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-w7j5-j98m-w679"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/28e1a65ebc580f07533966f5693f4df0a18d7085"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-250" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-03T22:25:13Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}