GHSA-4gc7-qcvf-38wg

Suggest an improvement
Source
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4gc7-qcvf-38wg
Import Source
https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/03/GHSA-4gc7-qcvf-38wg/GHSA-4gc7-qcvf-38wg.json
JSON Data
https://api.osv.dev/v1/vulns/GHSA-4gc7-qcvf-38wg
Aliases
Downstream
Published
2026-03-03T22:59:59Z
Modified
2026-03-30T13:33:33Z
Severity
  • 8.8 (High) CVSS_V3 - CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H CVSS Calculator
  • 5.8 (Medium) CVSS_V4 - CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N CVSS Calculator
Summary
In OpenClaw, manually adding sort to tools.exec.safeBins could bypass allowlist approval via --compress-program
Details

Summary

This issue applies to a non-default configuration only. If sort is manually added to tools.exec.safeBins, OpenClaw could treat sort --compress-program=<prog> as valid safe-bin usage. In security=allowlist + ask=on-miss, this could satisfy allowlist checks and skip operator approval, while GNU sort may invoke an external program via --compress-program.

Affected Packages / Versions

  • Ecosystem: npm
  • Package: openclaw
  • Affected: <= 2026.2.21-2
  • Patched (planned next release): >= 2026.2.22

Default Installations

Default installs are not impacted by this specific path because sort is not included in default tools.exec.safeBins.

Impact

  • Type: approval/allowlist bypass in optional safe-bin configuration
  • Scope: deployments that explicitly include sort in tools.exec.safeBins and use allowlist + ask=on-miss
  • Consequence: an external program may run under the OpenClaw process context without expected approval

Technical Details

  • sort safe-bin profile allowed --compress-program as a value flag.
  • Safe-bin satisfaction could therefore mark allowlist checks as satisfied.
  • In ask=on-miss, satisfied allowlist checks skip approval prompts.

Fix

  • Block --compress-program in safe-bin sort policy.
  • Add unit and e2e regression coverage for sort --compress-program denial in safe-bin mode.

Fix Commit(s)

  • 57fbbaebca4d34d17549accf6092ae26eb7b605c

OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

Database specific 
{
    "cwe_ids":  [
        "CWE-184",
        "CWE-78"
    ],
    "github_reviewed":  true,
    "github_reviewed_at":  "2026-03-03T22:59:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at":  "2026-03-19T22:16:33Z",
    "severity":  "MODERATE"
}
References

Affected packages

npm / openclaw

Package

Name
openclaw
View open source insights on deps.dev
Purl
pkg:npm/openclaw

Affected ranges

Type
SEMVER
Events
Introduced
0 Unknown introduced version / All previous versions are affected
Fixed
2026.2.22

Database specific

last_known_affected_version_range 
"<= 2026.2.21-2"
source 
"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/03/GHSA-4gc7-qcvf-38wg/GHSA-4gc7-qcvf-38wg.json"