vulnerability / NVI-00018644 / Revision 1
OpenClaw: Webchat audio embedding could read local files without local-root containment
GitHub lists this reviewed advisory for openclaw. Published version ranges and source prerequisites are shown below; this is not an inspection of a visitor’s application.
This report has not inspected your inventory, configuration, deployed build, reachability or evidence. A catalog listing and a severity score do not establish exposure or compromise.
01 / Meaning
Why it matters
Published affected context helps an owner decide what evidence to gather. This report has not examined your application.
02 / Applicability
The affected context
Affected versions, configuration prerequisites and known exclusions are public. Confirm each one against the deployed service.
openclaw
source listed<= 2026.4.14
## 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 me
03 / Response
What to do next
- investigate
Identify the exact component and deployed version, examine the linked publisher’s conditions, and retain evidence of any mitigation.
Confirm current vendor support, compatibility and deployment evidence. This report has not tested a fix in your system. GitHub Advisory Database
A fixed release is not deployment evidence.
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04 / Limits
What this report cannot establish
- Customer inventory, deployment, reachability and exploitation have not been inspected.
05 / Provenance
Sources you can inspect
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- GHSA-gfg9-5357-hv4c ↗
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Public revision history
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- Revision 1 ·
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