CVE-2026-41298: OpenClaw Read-scoped Identity-bearing HTTP Clients Could Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5hff-46vh-rxmw
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-269 CWE-862
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-41298 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) read-scoped identity-bearing http clients could vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves read-scoped identity-bearing http clients could kill sessions via /sessions/:sessionkey/kill. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.4.2.

CVE-2026-41298 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-41298
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5hff-46vh-rxmw
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-41298

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: 2026.4.2 
npm install openclaw@2026.4.2
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-2026-41298, 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 2026.4.2), 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-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. 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

## Summary Before OpenClaw 2026.4.2, `POST /sessions/:sessionKey/kill` did not enforce write scopes in identity-bearing HTTP modes. A caller limited to read-only operator scopes could still terminate a running subagent session. ## Impact A read-scoped caller could perform a write-class control-plane mutation and interrupt delegated work. This was an authorization bug on the HTTP scope boundary, not a shared-secret compatibility exception. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.4.1` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.2` - Latest published npm version: `2026.4.1` ## Fix Commit(s) - `54a0878517167c6e49900498cf77420dadb74beb` — enforce session-kill HTTP scopes ## Release Process Note The fix is present on `main` and is staged for OpenClaw `2026.4.2`. Publish this advisory after the `2026.4.2` npm release is live. Thanks @EaEa0001 for reporting.

CVE-2026-41298 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.4.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.4.2
2026.4.2

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-5hff-46vh-rxmw
NVD — CVE-2026-41298 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41298
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/54a0878517167c6e49900498cf77420dadb74beb
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-authorization-bypass-in-session-termination-endpoint

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-41298?
CVE-2026-41298 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Read-scoped identity-bearing HTTP clients could kill sessions via /sessions/:sessionKey/kill under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.4.2 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-41298?
Upgrading to 2026.4.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.4.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.4.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-41298?
CVE-2026-41298 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-41298?
CVE-2026-41298 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-41298?
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-5hff-46vh-rxmw",
  "modified" : "2026-04-24T21:04:39Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-07T18:15:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-41298" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Read-scoped identity-bearing HTTP clients could kill sessions via /sessions/:sessionKey/kill",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nBefore OpenClaw 2026.4.2, `POST /sessions/:sessionKey/kill` did not enforce write scopes in identity-bearing HTTP modes. A caller limited to read-only operator scopes could still terminate a running subagent session.\n\n## Impact\n\nA read-scoped caller could perform a write-class control-plane mutation and interrupt delegated work. This was an authorization bug on the HTTP scope boundary, not a shared-secret compatibility exception.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.4.1`\n- Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.2`\n- Latest published npm version: `2026.4.1`\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- `54a0878517167c6e49900498cf77420dadb74beb` — enforce session-kill HTTP scopes\n\n## Release Process Note\n\nThe fix is present on `main` and is staged for OpenClaw `2026.4.2`. Publish this advisory after the `2026.4.2` npm release is live.\n\nThanks @EaEa0001 for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.4.2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.4.1"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-5hff-46vh-rxmw"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41298"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/54a0878517167c6e49900498cf77420dadb74beb"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-authorization-bypass-in-session-termination-endpoint"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269", "CWE-862" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-07T18:15:37Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-21T00:16:30Z"
  }
}