CVE-2026-41908: OpenClaw Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v8qf-fr4g-28p2
Share
CVSS 4.3
CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-41908 is a LOW (CVSS 4.3) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves assistant media route missed scope enforcement for trusted-proxy authorization. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.4.20.

CVE-2026-41908 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-41908
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v8qf-fr4g-28p2
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.3

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:L/I:N/A:N).

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 Low (C:L)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-41908

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: 2026.4.20 
npm install openclaw@2026.4.20
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-2026-41908, 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 2026.4.20), 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-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. 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

## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `< 2026.4.20` - Patched version: `2026.4.20` ## Impact The Control UI assistant-media route authenticated trusted-proxy callers but did not enforce the declared operator scopes for identity-bearing HTTP auth paths. A trusted-proxy caller without `operator.read` could access assistant-media files and metadata that were otherwise inside allowed media roots. The route still required successful gateway authentication and media-root checks. Severity is low. ## Fix Assistant-media file and metadata requests now require `operator.read` on identity-bearing HTTP auth paths. Fix commit: - `99ef3a63c58440d53f8e45ad861b846032fcb036` ## Release Fixed in OpenClaw `2026.4.20`.

CVE-2026-41908 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.4.20
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.4.20
2026.4.20

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-v8qf-fr4g-28p2
NVD — CVE-2026-41908 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41908
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/99ef3a63c58440d53f8e45ad861b846032fcb036
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-scope-enforcement-bypass-in-assistant-media-route

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-41908?
CVE-2026-41908 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Assistant media route missed scope enforcement for trusted-proxy authorization under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.4.20 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-41908?
Upgrading to 2026.4.20 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.4.20. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.4.20 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-41908?
CVE-2026-41908 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-41908?
CVE-2026-41908 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-41908?
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-v8qf-fr4g-28p2",
  "modified" : "2026-05-04T21:05:43Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-25T23:45:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-41908" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Assistant media route missed scope enforcement for trusted-proxy authorization",
  "details" : "## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `< 2026.4.20`\n- Patched version: `2026.4.20`\n\n## Impact\n\nThe Control UI assistant-media route authenticated trusted-proxy callers but did not enforce the declared operator scopes for identity-bearing HTTP auth paths. A trusted-proxy caller without `operator.read` could access assistant-media files and metadata that were otherwise inside allowed media roots.\n\nThe route still required successful gateway authentication and media-root checks. Severity is low.\n\n## Fix\n\nAssistant-media file and metadata requests now require `operator.read` on identity-bearing HTTP auth paths.\n\nFix commit:\n\n- `99ef3a63c58440d53f8e45ad861b846032fcb036`\n\n## Release\n\nFixed in OpenClaw `2026.4.20`.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.4.20"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-v8qf-fr4g-28p2"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41908"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/99ef3a63c58440d53f8e45ad861b846032fcb036"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-scope-enforcement-bypass-in-assistant-media-route"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-25T23:45:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}