CVE-2026-44997: Openclaw OpenClaw's ACP Child Sessions Inherit Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q3jj-46pq-826r
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CWE-277
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-44997 is a MODERATE openclaw's acp child sessions inherit vulnerability (CWE-277: Insecure Inherited Permissions) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw's acp child sessions inherit subagent security envelope constraints. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.4.22.

CVE-2026-44997 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-44997
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q3jj-46pq-826r
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-277: Insecure Inherited Permissions
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-44997

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: 2026.4.22 
npm install openclaw@2026.4.22
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-2026-44997, 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 2026.4.22), 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-277: Insecure Inherited Permissions, where a product defines a set of insecure permissions that are inherited by objects that are created by the program. 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 ACP child sessions inherit subagent security envelope constraints. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: openclaw (npm) - Affected versions: <= 2026.4.21 - Fixed version: 2026.4.22 ## Impact A restricted subagent spawning an ACP child session could fail to carry forward subagent-only constraints such as depth, child-count limits, control scope, or target-agent restrictions. ## Fix ACP spawn now resolves and persists child subagent envelope fields, enforces maximum depth and active-child caps, and applies the inherited control scope to child ACP sessions. ## Fix Commit(s) - 31160dc069b7cc5d833b39c53736a41ad3befda2 ## Verification - The fix commit is contained in the public v2026.4.22 tag. - openclaw@2026.4.22 is published on npm and the compiled package contains the fix. - Focused regression coverage for this path passed before publication. OpenClaw thanks @zsxsoft, @qclawer, and @KeenSecurityLab for reporting.

CVE-2026-44997 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.4.22
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.4.22
2026.4.22

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-q3jj-46pq-826r
NVD — CVE-2026-44997 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44997
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/31160dc069b7cc5d833b39c53736a41ad3befda2
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
Openclaw Security Information SECURITY
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-security-envelope-constraint-bypass-in-acp-child-sessions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-44997?
CVE-2026-44997 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's ACP child sessions inherit subagent security envelope constraints under CWE-277: Insecure Inherited Permissions.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.4.22 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-44997?
Upgrading to 2026.4.22 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.4.22. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.4.22 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-44997?
CVE-2026-44997 is classified under CWE-277: Insecure Inherited Permissions (A product defines a set of insecure permissions that are inherited by objects that are created by the program.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-44997?
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-q3jj-46pq-826r",
  "modified" : "2026-05-19T15:56:24Z",
  "published" : "2026-05-04T20:21:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-44997" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's ACP child sessions inherit subagent security envelope constraints",
  "details" : "## Summary\nACP child sessions inherit subagent security envelope constraints.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: openclaw (npm)\n- Affected versions: <= 2026.4.21\n- Fixed version: 2026.4.22\n\n## Impact\nA restricted subagent spawning an ACP child session could fail to carry forward subagent-only constraints such as depth, child-count limits, control scope, or target-agent restrictions.\n\n## Fix\nACP spawn now resolves and persists child subagent envelope fields, enforces maximum depth and active-child caps, and applies the inherited control scope to child ACP sessions.\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n- 31160dc069b7cc5d833b39c53736a41ad3befda2\n\n## Verification\n- The fix commit is contained in the public v2026.4.22 tag.\n- openclaw@2026.4.22 is published on npm and the compiled package contains the fix.\n- Focused regression coverage for this path passed before publication.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @zsxsoft, @qclawer, and @KeenSecurityLab for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.4.22"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.4.21"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-q3jj-46pq-826r"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44997"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/31160dc069b7cc5d833b39c53736a41ad3befda2"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-security-envelope-constraint-bypass-in-acp-child-sessions"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-277" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-05-04T20:21:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}