CVE-2026-45005: Openclaw OpenClaw's Webhooks SecretRef Route Secret Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q8ff-7ffm-m3r9
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CVSS 6.0
CWE-613
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-45005 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.0) openclaw's webhooks secretref route secret vulnerability (CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw's webhooks secretref route secret remains valid after rotation/reload. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.4.23.

CVE-2026-45005 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-45005
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q8ff-7ffm-m3r9
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.0
CWE Classification CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.0

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-45005

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: 2026.4.23 
npm install openclaw@2026.4.23
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-2026-45005, 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 2026.4.23), 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-613: Insufficient Session Expiration, where according to wasc, "insufficient session expiration is when a web site permits an attacker to reuse old session credentials or session ids for authorization.". 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 OpenClaw webhooks allowed route secrets to be backed by `SecretRef` values, but cached the resolved secret for a route. After an operator rotated the underlying secret and ran `openclaw secrets reload`, the previous resolved webhook secret could remain valid until the plugin or gateway restarted. ## Impact An attacker who already had a previously valid webhook route secret could continue authenticating webhook requests after the operator rotated the secret and reloaded secrets. This weakened credential rotation for webhook routes and could allow continued invocation of the configured webhook task flow until restart. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` on npm - Affected: versions before `2026.4.23` - Fixed: `2026.4.23` - Latest stable verified fixed: `openclaw@2026.4.23`, tag `v2026.4.23` ## Fix Webhook route authentication now resolves `SecretRef`-backed route secrets on each request. A rotated secret becomes effective after `openclaw secrets reload` without requiring a gateway or plugin restart, and the old secret is rejected. ## Fix Commit(s) - `36c4a372a0ad5dca8bfc0d93f7aab9c2f2de66fa` (`fix(webhooks): reload route secrets per request`) ## Severity Severity remains `medium`. The attack requires possession of a previously valid route secret, but the stale credential can continue to authorize webhook actions after rotation.

CVE-2026-45005 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.4.23
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.4.23
2026.4.23

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-q8ff-7ffm-m3r9
NVD — CVE-2026-45005 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45005
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/36c4a372a0ad5dca8bfc0d93f7aab9c2f2de66fa
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-webhook-route-secret-cache-not-invalidated-after-rotation

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-45005?
CVE-2026-45005 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's Webhooks SecretRef route secret remains valid after rotation/reload under CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.4.23 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-45005?
Upgrading to 2026.4.23 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.4.23. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.4.23 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-45005?
CVE-2026-45005 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.0 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-45005?
CVE-2026-45005 is classified under CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration (According to WASC, "Insufficient Session Expiration is when a web site permits an attacker to reuse old session credentials or session IDs for authorization.").
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-45005?
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-q8ff-7ffm-m3r9",
  "modified" : "2026-05-19T15:56:42Z",
  "published" : "2026-05-05T18:42:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-45005" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's Webhooks SecretRef route secret remains valid after rotation/reload",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nOpenClaw webhooks allowed route secrets to be backed by `SecretRef` values, but cached the resolved secret for a route. After an operator rotated the underlying secret and ran `openclaw secrets reload`, the previous resolved webhook secret could remain valid until the plugin or gateway restarted.\n\n## Impact\n\nAn attacker who already had a previously valid webhook route secret could continue authenticating webhook requests after the operator rotated the secret and reloaded secrets. This weakened credential rotation for webhook routes and could allow continued invocation of the configured webhook task flow until restart.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` on npm\n- Affected: versions before `2026.4.23`\n- Fixed: `2026.4.23`\n- Latest stable verified fixed: `openclaw@2026.4.23`, tag `v2026.4.23`\n\n## Fix\n\nWebhook route authentication now resolves `SecretRef`-backed route secrets on each request. A rotated secret becomes effective after `openclaw secrets reload` without requiring a gateway or plugin restart, and the old secret is rejected.\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- `36c4a372a0ad5dca8bfc0d93f7aab9c2f2de66fa` (`fix(webhooks): reload route secrets per request`)\n\n## Severity\n\nSeverity remains `medium`. The attack requires possession of a previously valid route secret, but the stale credential can continue to authorize webhook actions after rotation.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.4.23"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-q8ff-7ffm-m3r9"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45005"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/36c4a372a0ad5dca8bfc0d93f7aab9c2f2de66fa"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-webhook-route-secret-cache-not-invalidated-after-rotation"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-613" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-05-05T18:42:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}