GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c: Openclaw OpenClaw's TOCTOU Symlink Race Vulnerability

HIGH
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CWE-367 CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c is a HIGH openclaw's toctou symlink race vulnerability (CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw's toctou symlink race in writefilewithinroot could create or truncate files outside root boundaries. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.1.

GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c

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: 2026.3.1 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.1
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-x82f-27x3-q89c, 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 2026.3.1), 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 symlink-retarget TOCTOU race in `writeFileWithinRoot` could point an attacker-controlled path alias outside the configured root between resolution and write operations. ### Impact Affected versions could cause out-of-root write side effects (including file creation or truncation) before final boundary validation. ### Fix Root-scoped write flow now opens existing files without pre-truncation, creates missing files with exclusive create semantics, truncates only after post-open identity/boundary checks, and removes out-of-root artifacts when a race is detected. ### Affected and Patched Versions - Affected: `<= 2026.2.26` - Patched: `2026.3.1`

GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.1
2026.3.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c?
GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's TOCTOU symlink race in writeFileWithinRoot could create or truncate files outside root boundaries under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.1 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c?
Upgrading to 2026.3.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.1 or later.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c?
GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c 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-x82f-27x3-q89c?
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-x82f-27x3-q89c",
  "modified" : "2026-03-02T21:55:25Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-02T21:55:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's TOCTOU symlink race in writeFileWithinRoot could create or truncate files outside root boundaries",
  "details" : "### Summary\nA symlink-retarget TOCTOU race in `writeFileWithinRoot` could point an attacker-controlled path alias outside the configured root between resolution and write operations.\n\n### Impact\nAffected versions could cause out-of-root write side effects (including file creation or truncation) before final boundary validation.\n\n### Fix\nRoot-scoped write flow now opens existing files without pre-truncation, creates missing files with exclusive create semantics, truncates only after post-open identity/boundary checks, and removes out-of-root artifacts when a race is detected.\n\n### Affected and Patched Versions\n- Affected: `<= 2026.2.26`\n- Patched: `2026.3.1`",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-x82f-27x3-q89c"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-367", "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-02T21:55:25Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}