CVE-2026-29613: Openclaw OpenClaw Has A Webhook Auth Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xc7w-v5x6-cc87
CVSS 5.9
CWE-306
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-29613 is a HIGH (CVSS 5.9) openclaw has a webhook auth vulnerability (CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw has a webhook auth bypass when gateway is behind a reverse proxy (loopback remoteaddress trust). Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.12.

CVE-2026-29613 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-29613
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xc7w-v5x6-cc87
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.9
CWE Classification CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.9

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:H/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 High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-29613

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: 2026.2.12
npm install openclaw@2026.2.12
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-2026-29613, 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 2026.2.12), 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-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function, where the product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources. 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 The BlueBubbles webhook handler previously treated any request whose socket `remoteAddress` was loopback (`127.0.0.1`, `::1`, `::ffff:127.0.0.1`) as authenticated. When OpenClaw Gateway is behind a reverse proxy (Tailscale Serve/Funnel, nginx, Cloudflare Tunnel, ngrok), the proxy typically connects to the gateway over loopback, allowing unauthenticated remote requests to bypass the configured webhook password. This could allow an attacker who can reach the proxy endpoint to inject arbitrary inbound BlueBubbles message/reaction events. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `< 2026.2.12` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.2.12` ## Exposure / Configuration - BlueBubbles is an optional channel plugin (intended to eventually replace the legacy iMessage plugin, which is also optional). It is not enabled by default and is not part of a standard OpenClaw configuration. - Only deployments with the BlueBubbles webhook endpoint exposed through a reverse proxy are impacted. ## Details The BlueBubbles webhook handler accepts inbound events via an HTTP POST endpoint under the configured BlueBubbles webhook path. In vulnerable versions, the handler would accept requests as authenticated if `req.socket.remoteAddress` is loopback, without validating forwarding headers. With common reverse-proxy setups, the gateway sees the proxy as the direct client (loopback), even when the original request is remote. ## Fix - Primary fix (released in `2026.2.12`): remove loopback-based authentication bypass and require the configured webhook secret. - Defense-in-depth follow-up (next release after commit below): treat requests with forwarding headers as proxied and never accept passwordless webhooks through a proxy. ## Fix Commit(s) - [`f836c385ffc746cb954e8ee409f99d079bfdcd2f`](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/f836c385ffc746cb954e8ee409f99d079bfdcd2f) (released in `2026.2.12`) - [`743f4b28495cdeb0d5bf76f6ebf4af01f6a02e5a`](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/743f4b28495cdeb0d5bf76f6ebf4af01f6a02e5a) (defense-in-depth follow-up) ## Mitigations - Ensure a BlueBubbles webhook password is configured. - Do not expose the gateway webhook endpoint publicly without authentication. Thanks @simecek for reporting.

CVE-2026-29613 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.12
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.12
2026.2.12

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-29613?
CVE-2026-29613 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw has a webhook auth bypass when gateway is behind a reverse proxy (loopback remoteAddress trust) under CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.12 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-29613?
Upgrading to 2026.2.12 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.12. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.12 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-29613?
CVE-2026-29613 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-29613?
CVE-2026-29613 is classified under CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function (The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-29613?
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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-xc7w-v5x6-cc87",
  "modified" : "2026-03-06T01:00:29Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-17T17:14:00Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-29613" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw has a webhook auth bypass when gateway is behind a reverse proxy (loopback remoteAddress trust)",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nThe BlueBubbles webhook handler previously treated any request whose socket `remoteAddress` was loopback (`127.0.0.1`, `::1`, `::ffff:127.0.0.1`) as authenticated. When OpenClaw Gateway is behind a reverse proxy (Tailscale Serve/Funnel, nginx, Cloudflare Tunnel, ngrok), the proxy typically connects to the gateway over loopback, allowing unauthenticated remote requests to bypass the configured webhook password.\n\nThis could allow an attacker who can reach the proxy endpoint to inject arbitrary inbound BlueBubbles message/reaction events.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `< 2026.2.12`\n- Patched versions: `>= 2026.2.12`\n\n## Exposure / Configuration\n\n- BlueBubbles is an optional channel plugin (intended to eventually replace the legacy iMessage plugin, which is also optional). It is not enabled by default and is not part of a standard OpenClaw configuration.\n- Only deployments with the BlueBubbles webhook endpoint exposed through a reverse proxy are impacted.\n\n## Details\n\nThe BlueBubbles webhook handler accepts inbound events via an HTTP POST endpoint under the configured BlueBubbles webhook path.\n\nIn vulnerable versions, the handler would accept requests as authenticated if `req.socket.remoteAddress` is loopback, without validating forwarding headers. With common reverse-proxy setups, the gateway sees the proxy as the direct client (loopback), even when the original request is remote.\n\n## Fix\n\n- Primary fix (released in `2026.2.12`): remove loopback-based authentication bypass and require the configured webhook secret.\n- Defense-in-depth follow-up (next release after commit below): treat requests with forwarding headers as proxied and never accept passwordless webhooks through a proxy.\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- [`f836c385ffc746cb954e8ee409f99d079bfdcd2f`](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/f836c385ffc746cb954e8ee409f99d079bfdcd2f) (released in `2026.2.12`)\n- [`743f4b28495cdeb0d5bf76f6ebf4af01f6a02e5a`](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/743f4b28495cdeb0d5bf76f6ebf4af01f6a02e5a) (defense-in-depth follow-up)\n\n## Mitigations\n\n- Ensure a BlueBubbles webhook password is configured.\n- Do not expose the gateway webhook endpoint publicly without authentication.\n\nThanks @simecek for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-xc7w-v5x6-cc87"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-29613"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/743f4b28495cdeb0d5bf76f6ebf4af01f6a02e5a"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/f836c385ffc746cb954e8ee409f99d079bfdcd2f"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.12"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-webhook-authentication-bypass-via-loopback-remoteaddress-trust"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-306" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-17T17:14:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-05T22:16:24Z"
  }
}