CVE-2026-32034: Openclaw OpenClaw Has An Opt-in Insecure Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3cvx-236h-m9fj
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-319 CWE-78 CWE-285
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-32034 is a MODERATE (CVSS 7.5) openclaw has an opt-in insecure vulnerability (CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw has an opt-in insecure control ui auth over plaintext http could allow privileged access. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.21.

CVE-2026-32034 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-32034
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3cvx-236h-m9fj
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-32034

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Openclaw dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

openclaw fixed: 2026.2.21 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.21
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls openclaw

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-32034, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls openclaw

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Openclaw in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2026.2.21), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls openclaw command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information, where the product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors. In Openclaw, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

## Description In affected releases, when an operator explicitly enabled `gateway.controlUi.allowInsecureAuth: true` and exposed the gateway over plaintext HTTP, Control UI authentication could permit privileged operator access without the intended device identity + pairing guarantees. This required an insecure deployment choice and credential exposure risk (for example, plaintext transit or prior token leak). It was fixed on `main` in commit `40a292619e1f2be3a3b1db663d7494c9c2dc0abf` ([PR #20684](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/20684)). ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected published versions: `<= 2026.2.19-2` - Planned patched version: `2026.2.21` ## Impact In these explicitly insecure deployments, an attacker with leaked/intercepted credentials could obtain high-privilege Control UI access. ## Fix Commit(s) - `40a292619e1f2be3a3b1db663d7494c9c2dc0abf` (merged 2026-02-20) OpenClaw thanks @Vasco0x4 for reporting.

CVE-2026-32034 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.21
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.21
2026.2.21

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-3cvx-236h-m9fj
NVD — CVE-2026-32034 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32034
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/20684
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/40a292619e1f2be3a3b1db663d7494c9c2dc0abf
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-insecure-control-ui-authentication-over-plaintext-http

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-32034?
CVE-2026-32034 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw has an opt-in insecure Control UI auth over plaintext HTTP could allow privileged access under CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.21 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-32034?
Upgrading to 2026.2.21 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.21. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.21 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-32034?
CVE-2026-32034 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-32034?
CVE-2026-32034 is classified under CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information (The product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-32034?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls openclaw'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3cvx-236h-m9fj",
  "modified" : "2026-03-25T18:45:34Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-03T21:49:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-32034" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw has an opt-in insecure Control UI auth over plaintext HTTP could allow privileged access",
  "details" : "## Description\n\nIn affected releases, when an operator explicitly enabled `gateway.controlUi.allowInsecureAuth: true` and exposed the gateway over plaintext HTTP, Control UI authentication could permit privileged operator access without the intended device identity + pairing guarantees.\n\nThis required an insecure deployment choice and credential exposure risk (for example, plaintext transit or prior token leak). It was fixed on `main` in commit `40a292619e1f2be3a3b1db663d7494c9c2dc0abf` ([PR #20684](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/20684)).\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected published versions: `<= 2026.2.19-2`\n- Planned patched version: `2026.2.21`\n\n## Impact\n\nIn these explicitly insecure deployments, an attacker with leaked/intercepted credentials could obtain high-privilege Control UI access.\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- `40a292619e1f2be3a3b1db663d7494c9c2dc0abf` (merged 2026-02-20)\n\nOpenClaw thanks @Vasco0x4 for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.21"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.2.19-2"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-3cvx-236h-m9fj"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32034"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/20684"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/40a292619e1f2be3a3b1db663d7494c9c2dc0abf"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-insecure-control-ui-authentication-over-plaintext-http"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-285", "CWE-319", "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-03T21:49:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-19T22:16:39Z"
  }
}