CVE-2026-32913: OpenClaw Fetch-guard Forwards Custom Authorization Headers Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6mgf-v5j7-45cr
CVSS 9.3
CWE-116 CWE-522 CWE-184
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-32913 is a HIGH (CVSS 9.3) fetch-guard forwards custom authorization headers vulnerability (CWE-116: Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves fetch-guard forwards custom authorization headers across cross-origin redirects. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.7.

CVE-2026-32913 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-32913
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6mgf-v5j7-45cr
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.3
CWE Classification CWE-116: Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.3

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-32913

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: 2026.3.7
npm install openclaw@2026.3.7
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-2026-32913, 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 2026.3.7), 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-116: Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output, where the product prepares a structured message for communication with another component, but encoding or escaping of the data is either missing or done incorrectly. as a result, the intended structure of the message is not preserved. 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

OpenClaw's `fetchWithSsrFGuard(...)` followed cross-origin redirects while preserving arbitrary caller-supplied headers except for a narrow denylist (`Authorization`, `Proxy-Authorization`, `Cookie`, `Cookie2`). This allowed custom authorization headers such as `X-Api-Key`, `Private-Token`, and similar sensitive headers to be forwarded to a different origin after a redirect. The fix switches cross-origin redirect handling from a narrow sensitive-header denylist to a safe-header allowlist, so only benign headers such as content negotiation and cache validators survive an origin change. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.2` - Patched version: `2026.3.7` - Latest published npm version at patch time: `2026.3.2` ## Impact A remote service that could trigger a redirect across origins could receive custom authorization credentials attached by OpenClaw callers. This can expose API keys, bearer-style custom headers, or private token headers intended only for the original destination. ## Fix Commit(s) - `46715371b0612a6f9114dffd1466941ac476cef5` ## Verification - `pnpm check` passed - `pnpm test:fast` passed - Focused redirect regression tests passed - `pnpm exec vitest run --config vitest.gateway.config.ts` still has unrelated current-`main` failures in `src/gateway/server-channels.test.ts` and `src/gateway/server-methods/agents-mutate.test.ts` ## Release Process Note npm `2026.3.7` was published on March 8, 2026. This advisory is fixed in the released package. Thanks @Rickidevs for reporting.

CVE-2026-32913 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.7
2026.3.7

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-32913?
CVE-2026-32913 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving fetch-guard forwards custom authorization headers across cross-origin redirects under CWE-116: Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.7 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-32913?
Upgrading to 2026.3.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.7. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-32913?
CVE-2026-32913 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-32913?
CVE-2026-32913 is classified under CWE-116: Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output (The product prepares a structured message for communication with another component, but encoding or escaping of the data is either missing or done incorrectly. As a result, the intended structure of the message is not preserved.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-32913?
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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-6mgf-v5j7-45cr",
  "modified" : "2026-03-30T13:31:55Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-09T19:54:20Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-32913" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: fetch-guard forwards custom authorization headers across cross-origin redirects",
  "details" : "OpenClaw's `fetchWithSsrFGuard(...)` followed cross-origin redirects while preserving arbitrary caller-supplied headers except for a narrow denylist (`Authorization`, `Proxy-Authorization`, `Cookie`, `Cookie2`). This allowed custom authorization headers such as `X-Api-Key`, `Private-Token`, and similar sensitive headers to be forwarded to a different origin after a redirect.\n\nThe fix switches cross-origin redirect handling from a narrow sensitive-header denylist to a safe-header allowlist, so only benign headers such as content negotiation and cache validators survive an origin change.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.2`\n- Patched version: `2026.3.7`\n- Latest published npm version at patch time: `2026.3.2`\n\n## Impact\n\nA remote service that could trigger a redirect across origins could receive custom authorization credentials attached by OpenClaw callers. This can expose API keys, bearer-style custom headers, or private token headers intended only for the original destination.\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- `46715371b0612a6f9114dffd1466941ac476cef5`\n\n## Verification\n\n- `pnpm check` passed\n- `pnpm test:fast` passed\n- Focused redirect regression tests passed\n- `pnpm exec vitest run --config vitest.gateway.config.ts` still has unrelated current-`main` failures in `src/gateway/server-channels.test.ts` and `src/gateway/server-methods/agents-mutate.test.ts`\n\n## Release Process Note\n\nnpm `2026.3.7` was published on March 8, 2026. This advisory is fixed in the released package.\n\nThanks @Rickidevs for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.7"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.3.2"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-6mgf-v5j7-45cr"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32913"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/46715371b0612a6f9114dffd1466941ac476cef5"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-mar-custom-authorization-header-leakage-via-cross-origin-redirects"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-116", "CWE-184", "CWE-522" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-09T19:54:20Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-23T22:16:30Z"
  }
}