CVE-2026-35648: Openclaw Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wj55-88gf-x564
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CVSS 3.7
CWE-367 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-35648 is a LOW (CVSS 3.7) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw may have stale policy enforcement for queued node actions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.22.

CVE-2026-35648 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-35648
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wj55-88gf-x564
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 3.7
CWE Classification CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 3.7

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-35648

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: 2026.3.22 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.22
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-2026-35648, 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 2026.3.22), 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-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition, where the product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of 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

## Summary Queued node actions were not revalidated against current command policy when later delivered, so stale allowlists or declarations could survive policy tightening. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: < 2026.3.22 - Fixed: >= 2026.3.22 - Latest released tag checked: `v2026.3.23-2` (`630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87`) - Latest published npm version checked: `2026.3.23-2` ## Fix Commit(s) - `ec2c6d83b9f5f91d6d9094842e0f19b88e63e3e2` ## Release Status The fix shipped in `v2026.3.22` and remains present in `v2026.3.23` and `v2026.3.23-2`. ## Code-Level Confirmation - src/gateway/server-methods/nodes.ts now revalidates queued actions against the current allowlist and declared command set at delivery time. - src/gateway/server-methods/nodes.invoke-wake.test.ts includes the shipped stale-queue regression coverage. OpenClaw thanks @zpbrent for reporting.

CVE-2026-35648 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.22
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.22
2026.3.22

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-wj55-88gf-x564
NVD — CVE-2026-35648 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35648
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/ec2c6d83b9f5f91d6d9094842e0f19b88e63e3e2
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-policy-bypass-via-unvalidated-queued-node-actions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-35648?
CVE-2026-35648 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw may have stale policy enforcement for queued node actions under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.22 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-35648?
Upgrading to 2026.3.22 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.22. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.22 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-35648?
CVE-2026-35648 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 3.7 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-35648?
CVE-2026-35648 is classified under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition (The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-35648?
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-wj55-88gf-x564",
  "modified" : "2026-04-15T20:55:23Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-26T21:14:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-35648" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw may have stale policy enforcement for queued node actions",
  "details" : "## Summary\nQueued node actions were not revalidated against current command policy when later delivered, so stale allowlists or declarations could survive policy tightening.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected: < 2026.3.22\n- Fixed: >= 2026.3.22\n- Latest released tag checked: `v2026.3.23-2` (`630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87`)\n- Latest published npm version checked: `2026.3.23-2`\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n- `ec2c6d83b9f5f91d6d9094842e0f19b88e63e3e2`\n\n## Release Status\nThe fix shipped in `v2026.3.22` and remains present in `v2026.3.23` and `v2026.3.23-2`.\n\n## Code-Level Confirmation\n- src/gateway/server-methods/nodes.ts now revalidates queued actions against the current allowlist and declared command set at delivery time.\n- src/gateway/server-methods/nodes.invoke-wake.test.ts includes the shipped stale-queue regression coverage.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @zpbrent for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/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" : "2026.3.22"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-wj55-88gf-x564"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35648"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/ec2c6d83b9f5f91d6d9094842e0f19b88e63e3e2"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-policy-bypass-via-unvalidated-queued-node-actions"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-367", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-26T21:14:24Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-10T17:17:05Z"
  }
}