CVE-2026-29612: OpenClaw Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-w2cg-vxx6-5xjg
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-400 CWE-770
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-29612 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves denial of service through large base64 media files allocating large buffers before limit checks. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.14.

CVE-2026-29612 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-29612
GHSA Identifier GHSA-w2cg-vxx6-5xjg
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-29612

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: 2026.2.14 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.14
clawdbot fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install clawdbot@Latest secure release
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-2026-29612, 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 2026.2.14), 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. 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 Base64-backed media inputs could be decoded into Buffers before enforcing decoded-size budgets. An attacker supplying oversized base64 payloads can force large allocations, causing memory pressure and denial of service. ## Attack Scenario Notes - Recommended deployments bind the gateway to loopback by default and require gateway auth for HTTP endpoints. In that configuration, this is best modeled as a local/authorized DoS. - If an operator exposes the gateway to untrusted networks (or disables/weakens auth and rate limits), treat this as a higher-severity network DoS risk. ## Affected Packages / Versions - openclaw (npm): <= 2026.2.13 - clawdbot (npm): <= 2026.1.24-3 ## Fixed In - openclaw (npm): 2026.2.14 (planned) - clawdbot (npm): no patched release planned; migrate to openclaw ## Fix Commit(s) - 31791233d60495725fa012745dde8d6ee69e9595 ## Credits Thanks @vincentkoc for reporting.

CVE-2026-29612 Affected OpenClaw Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.14
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.14
2026.2.14
clawdbot
npm/clawdbot
npm
≤ 2026.1.24-3

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-w2cg-vxx6-5xjg
NVD — CVE-2026-29612 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-29612
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/31791233d60495725fa012745dde8d6ee69e9595
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
OpenClaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.14
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-denial-of-service-via-large-base-media-file-decoding

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-29612?
CVE-2026-29612 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving denial of service through large base64 media files allocating large buffers before limit checks under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.14 across affected packages: openclaw, clawdbot.
What version fixes CVE-2026-29612?
Upgrading to 2026.2.14 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.14. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.14 or later.
Is clawdbot affected?
Yes, clawdbot is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-29612?
CVE-2026-29612 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-29612?
CVE-2026-29612 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-29612?
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-w2cg-vxx6-5xjg",
  "modified" : "2026-03-06T01:03:12Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-18T00:52:36Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-29612" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: denial of service through large base64 media files allocating large buffers before limit checks",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nBase64-backed media inputs could be decoded into Buffers before enforcing decoded-size budgets. An attacker supplying oversized base64 payloads can force large allocations, causing memory pressure and denial of service.\n\n## Attack Scenario Notes\n\n- Recommended deployments bind the gateway to loopback by default and require gateway auth for HTTP endpoints. In that configuration, this is best modeled as a local/authorized DoS.\n- If an operator exposes the gateway to untrusted networks (or disables/weakens auth and rate limits), treat this as a higher-severity network DoS risk.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- openclaw (npm): <= 2026.2.13\n- clawdbot (npm): <= 2026.1.24-3\n\n## Fixed In\n\n- openclaw (npm): 2026.2.14 (planned)\n- clawdbot (npm): no patched release planned; migrate to openclaw\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- 31791233d60495725fa012745dde8d6ee69e9595\n\n## Credits\nThanks @vincentkoc for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "clawdbot"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "2026.1.24-3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-w2cg-vxx6-5xjg"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-29612"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/31791233d60495725fa012745dde8d6ee69e9595"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.14"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-denial-of-service-via-large-base-media-file-decoding"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400", "CWE-770" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-18T00:52:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-05T22:16:24Z"
  }
}