Vulnerability Database

349,003

Total vulnerabilities in the database

OpenClaw: Webchat audio embedding could read local files without local-root containment — openclaw

Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

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.

Affected Packages / Versions

  • Package: openclaw on npm
  • Affected versions: <= 2026.4.14
  • Patched version: 2026.4.15

The latest public release, 2026.4.21, also contains the fix.

Patches

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

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.

  • Published: Apr 29, 2026
  • Updated: May 6, 2026
  • GHSA: GHSA-gfg9-5357-hv4c
  • Severity: Medium
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

No technical information available.

Frequently Asked Questions

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.