CVE-2026-41378: OpenClaw Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-gjm7-hw8f-73rq
Share
CVSS 8.8
CWE-862 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-41378 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-862: Missing Authorization) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves paired node escalates to gateway rce via unrestricted node.event agent dispatch. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.31.

CVE-2026-41378 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-41378
GHSA Identifier GHSA-gjm7-hw8f-73rq
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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:H/I:H/A:H).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-41378

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: 2026.3.31 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.31
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-2026-41378, 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 2026.3.31), 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-862: Missing Authorization, where the product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. 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 Paired node escalates to gateway RCE via unrestricted node.event agent dispatch ## Current Maintainer Triage - Status: narrow - Normalized severity: high - Assessment: v2026.3.28 still lets paired role=node clients drive node.event agent.request into broader gateway-side tool access than node RPCs, but critical is overstated because a trusted paired node foothold is already required. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Latest published npm version: `2026.3.31` - Vulnerable version range: `<=2026.3.28` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.3.31` - First stable tag containing the fix: `v2026.3.31` ## Fix Commit(s) - `a77928b1087e90f2a8903f8e5aca6dec9237ac62` — 2026-03-30T14:22:15+01:00 OpenClaw thanks @AntAISecurityLab for reporting.

CVE-2026-41378 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.31
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.31
2026.3.31

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-gjm7-hw8f-73rq
NVD — CVE-2026-41378 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41378
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/a77928b1087e90f2a8903f8e5aca6dec9237ac62
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
OpenClaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.31
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-to-remote-code-execution-via-unrestricted-node-event-agent-dispatch

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-41378?
CVE-2026-41378 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Paired node escalates to gateway RCE via unrestricted node.event agent dispatch under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.31 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-41378?
Upgrading to 2026.3.31 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.31. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.31 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-41378?
CVE-2026-41378 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-41378?
CVE-2026-41378 is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization (The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-41378?
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-gjm7-hw8f-73rq",
  "modified" : "2026-05-06T02:39:20Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-03T03:15:08Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-41378" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Paired node escalates to gateway RCE via unrestricted node.event agent dispatch",
  "details" : "## Summary\nPaired node escalates to gateway RCE via unrestricted node.event agent dispatch\n\n## Current Maintainer Triage\n- Status: narrow\n- Normalized severity: high\n- Assessment: v2026.3.28 still lets paired role=node clients drive node.event agent.request into broader gateway-side tool access than node RPCs, but critical is overstated because a trusted paired node foothold is already required.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Latest published npm version: `2026.3.31`\n- Vulnerable version range: `<=2026.3.28`\n- Patched versions: `>= 2026.3.31`\n- First stable tag containing the fix: `v2026.3.31`\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n- `a77928b1087e90f2a8903f8e5aca6dec9237ac62` — 2026-03-30T14:22:15+01:00\n\nOpenClaw thanks @AntAISecurityLab for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.31"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.3.28"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-gjm7-hw8f-73rq"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41378"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/a77928b1087e90f2a8903f8e5aca6dec9237ac62"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.31"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-to-remote-code-execution-via-unrestricted-node-event-agent-dispatch"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-862", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-03T03:15:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-28T19:37:40Z"
  }
}