GHSA-g27f-9qjv-22pm
OpenClaw log poisoning (indirect prompt injection) via WebSocket headers
- Severity
- 3.1 / 10
- Low · CVSS 3.1
- Exploit chance (EPSS)
- —
- No score published
- Known exploited
- No
- Not in CISA's catalog
- Weakness
- CWE-117 Improper Output Neutralization for Logs
- Fix
2026.2.13- Upgrade openclaw to this version or later
Description
Summary
In openclaw versions prior to 2026.2.13, OpenClaw logged certain WebSocket request headers (including Origin and User-Agent) without neutralization or length limits on the "closed before connect" path.
If an unauthenticated client can reach the gateway and send crafted header values, those values may be written into core logs. Under workflows where logs are later read or interpreted by an LLM (for example via AI-assisted debugging), this can increase the risk of indirect prompt injection (log poisoning).
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Affected:
<= 2026.2.12 - Fixed:
>= 2026.2.13
Details
- Component:
src/gateway/server/ws-connection.ts - Trigger: WebSocket connection closes before completing the connect/handshake; header values are included in the log message and structured context.
Impact
This issue is primarily an indirect prompt injection risk and depends on downstream log consumption behavior. If you do not feed logs into an LLM or other automation, impact is limited.
Fix
Header values written to gateway logs are now sanitized and truncated (including removal of control/format characters and length limiting).
- Fix commits:
d637a263505448bf4505b85535babbfaacedbaac,e84318e4bcdc948d92e57fda1eb763a65e1774f0(PR #15592)
Workarounds
- Upgrade to
openclaw@2026.2.13or later. - Treat logs as untrusted input when using AI-assisted debugging (sanitize/escape, and do not auto-execute instructions derived from logs).
- Restrict gateway network exposure; apply reverse-proxy limits on header size where applicable.
Thanks @pkerkhofs for reporting.
Affected versions
npm
| Package | Vulnerable | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| openclaw | < 2026.2.13 |
2026.2.13 |
How to fix
Move to the fixed version or later with your package manager, update the lockfile, and run your tests. If the package only arrives through another dependency, upgrade that dependency first. If none of its releases pulls a fixed version yet, force the version with your package manager's override.
openclaw npm → 2026.2.13
- npm
npm install openclaw@2026.2.13- yarn
yarn add openclaw@2026.2.13- pnpm
pnpm add openclaw@2026.2.13
Severity breakdown
CVSS 3.1 3.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- High
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
Weakness
CWE-117: Improper Output Neutralization for Logs
The product constructs a log message from external input, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements when the message is written to a log file.
How to prevent it
- Implementation: Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does. When performing input validation, consider all potentially relevant properties, including length, type of input, the full range of acceptable values, missing or extra inputs, syntax, consistency across related fields, and conformance to business rules. As an example of business rule logic, "boat" may be syntactically valid because it only contains alphanumeric characters, but it is not valid if the input is only expected to contain colors such as "red" or "blue." Do not rely exclusively on looking for malicious or malformed inputs. This is likely to miss at least one undesirable input, especially if the code's environment changes. This can give attackers enough room to bypass the intended validation. However, denylists can be useful for detecting potential attacks or determining which inputs are so malformed that they should be rejected outright.
- Implementation: Use and specify an output encoding that can be handled by the downstream component that is reading the output. Common encodings include ISO-8859-1, UTF-7, and UTF-8. When an encoding is not specified, a downstream component may choose a different encoding, either by assuming a default encoding or automatically inferring which encoding is being used, which can be erroneous. When the encodings are inconsistent, the downstream component might treat some character or byte sequences as special, even if they are not special in the original encoding. Attackers might then be able to exploit this discrepancy and conduct injection attacks; they even might be able to bypass protection mechanisms that assume the original encoding is also being used by the downstream component.
- Implementation: Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
References
Packages
Other links
Timeline
- Published
- Last updated by the source
Related advisories
| Advisory | Severity | Why it's related |
|---|---|---|
| GHSA-3x84-qq85-fj65 OpenClaw: Browser CDP discovery could accept blocked WebSocket URLs | High | Also affects openclaw |
| GHSA-9c3v-684m-579c OpenClaw MCP SSE redirects could forward Authorization headers | Medium | Also affects openclaw |
| GHSA-f397-5vjw-v2c2 OpenClaw: Shell inline-command parsing could miss an allowlist check | High | Also affects openclaw |
| GHSA-rx78-29qr-5hq8 OpenClaw: Workspace-derived service PATH could influence trash command selection | High | Also affects openclaw |
| GHSA-ccwh-wwpp-6wg5 OpenClaw: Host environment sanitizer missed two Node.js control variables | High | Also affects openclaw |
| GHSA-985f-72mj-8gf7 OpenClaw: Tool group policy callers could accept unvalidated group IDs | Medium | Also affects openclaw |
| GHSA-9v8j-9c9g-w66c OpenClaw: Bootstrap token replay could widen pending pairing scopes | Medium | Also affects openclaw |
| GHSA-c226-q6fx-6j6c OpenClaw: macOS Swift exec allowlist missed combined POSIX inline flags | Medium | Also affects openclaw |
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