CVE-2026-27646: OpenClaw Sandboxed /acp Spawn Requests Could Vulnerability
MODERATECVE-2026-27646 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) sandboxed /acp spawn requests could vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves sandboxed /acp spawn requests could initialize host acp sessions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.7.
CVE-2026-27646 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 6.1
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2026-27646
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.
npm install openclaw@2026.3.7
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-2026-27646, 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized 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
CVE-2026-27646 Affected OpenClaw Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
openclaw
|
npm |
< 2026.3.7
|
2026.3.7
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-27646?
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2026-27646?
Is openclaw affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-27646?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-27646?
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-27646?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-9q36-67vc-rrwg",
"modified" : "2026-03-30T13:31:02Z",
"published" : "2026-03-09T19:54:54Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-27646" ],
"summary" : "OpenClaw: Sandboxed /acp spawn requests could initialize host ACP sessions",
"details" : "### Summary\nSandboxed requester sessions could reach host-side ACP session initialization through `/acp spawn`.\n\nOpenClaw already blocked `sessions_spawn({ runtime: \"acp\" })` from sandboxed sessions, but the slash-command path initialized ACP directly without applying the same host-runtime guard first.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n- npm package: `openclaw`\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.2`\n- Patched version: `>= 2026.3.7`\n\n### Details\nACP sessions run on the host, not inside the OpenClaw sandbox. The direct ACP spawn path in `src/agents/acp-spawn.ts` already denied sandboxed requesters, but `/acp spawn` in `src/auto-reply/reply/commands-acp/lifecycle.ts` called `initializeSession(...)` without first applying the same restriction.\n\nIn affected versions, an already authorized sender in a sandboxed session could use `/acp spawn` to cross from sandboxed chat context into host-side ACP runtime initialization when ACP was enabled and a backend was available.\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n- `61000b8e4ded919ca1a825d4700db4cb3fdc56e3`\n\n### Fix Details\nThe fix introduced a shared ACP runtime-policy guard in `src/agents/acp-spawn.ts` and reused it from the `/acp spawn` handler in `src/auto-reply/reply/commands-acp/lifecycle.ts` before any ACP backend initialization. Regression coverage was added in `src/auto-reply/reply/commands-acp.test.ts` to prove sandboxed `/acp spawn` requests are rejected early, while existing ACP spawn behavior for non-sandboxed sessions remains unchanged.\n\n### Release Process Note\nPatched version is pre-set to `2026.3.7` so the advisory can be published once that npm release is available.\n\nThanks @tdjackey for reporting.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N"
}, {
"type" : "CVSS_V4",
"score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/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-9q36-67vc-rrwg"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-27646"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/61000b8e4ded919ca1a825d4700db4cb3fdc56e3"
}, {
"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-sandbox-escape-via-acp-spawn-command"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284", "CWE-693", "CWE-863" ],
"severity" : "MODERATE",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-09T19:54:54Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-23T22:16:25Z"
}
}