Summary
OpenClaw: Webchat audio embedding could read local files without local-root containment
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclawon npm - Affected versions:
<= 2026.4.14 - Patched version:
2026.4.15
The latest public release, 2026.4.21, also contains the fix.
Workarounds
Upgrade to [email protected] or later. The latest public release, 2026.4.21, is fixed. Before upgrading, avoid exposing webchat sessions to untrusted prompt/tool content that can influence reply media URLs.
Credits
OpenClaw thanks @zsxsoft for reporting.
Impact
OpenClaw deployments before 2026.4.15 could embed host-local audio files into webchat responses without applying the local media root containment check used by other media-serving paths.
If an attacker could influence an agent or tool-produced ReplyPayload.mediaUrl, the webchat audio embedding helper could resolve an absolute local path or file: URL, read an audio-like file under the size cap, and base64-encode it into the webchat media response. This crossed the model/tool-output boundary into a host file read. Prompt injection or malicious tool output is a delivery mechanism; the security boundary failure is the missing local-root containment check.
The impact is narrow: the file had to be readable by the gateway process, have an audio-like extension, and fit within the webchat audio size cap. The issue exposed contents into the webchat assistant/media transcript path; it was not a general remote filesystem API.
Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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The public fix threads the applicable local media roots into the webchat audio embedding path and calls assertLocalMediaAllowed before local audio content is read. Current main also includes an additional trustedLocalMedia gate so untrusted model/tool payloads cannot opt into local audio embedding.
Fix commit:
6e58f1f9f54bca1fea1268ec0ee4c01a2af03dde
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-GFG9-5357-HV4C? GHSA-GFG9-5357-HV4C is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in openclaw (npm), affecting versions <= 2026.4.14. It is fixed in 2026.4.15. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- Which versions of openclaw are affected by GHSA-GFG9-5357-HV4C? openclaw (npm) versions <= 2026.4.14 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-GFG9-5357-HV4C? Yes. GHSA-GFG9-5357-HV4C is fixed in 2026.4.15. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-GFG9-5357-HV4C exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-GFG9-5357-HV4C is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether GHSA-GFG9-5357-HV4C is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix GHSA-GFG9-5357-HV4C? Upgrade
openclawto 2026.4.15 or later.