CVE-2026-43585: OpenClaw Gateway HTTP Endpoints Re-resolve Bearer Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xmxx-7p24-h892
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-672 CWE-324
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-43585 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 8.1) gateway http endpoints re-resolve bearer vulnerability (CWE-672: Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves gateway http endpoints re-resolve bearer auth after secretref rotation. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.4.15.

CVE-2026-43585 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-43585
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xmxx-7p24-h892
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-672: Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-43585

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: 2026.4.15 
npm install openclaw@2026.4.15
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-2026-43585, 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 2026.4.15), 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-672: Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release, where the product uses, accesses, or otherwise operates on a resource after that resource has been expired, released, or revoked. 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 Gateway HTTP and WebSocket handlers captured the resolved bearer-auth configuration when the server started. After a SecretRef rotation, the already-running gateway could continue accepting the old bearer token until restart. ## Impact A bearer token that should have been revoked by SecretRef rotation could remain valid on the gateway HTTP and upgrade surfaces for the lifetime of the process. Severity remains high because the old token could continue to authorize gateway requests after operators believed it was rotated out. ## Affected versions - Affected: `< 2026.4.15` - Patched: `2026.4.15` ## Fix OpenClaw `2026.4.15` resolves active gateway auth from the runtime secret snapshot per request and per upgrade instead of using a stale startup-time value. Verified in `v2026.4.15`: - `src/gateway/server.impl.ts` exposes `getResolvedAuth()` backed by the current runtime secret snapshot. - `src/gateway/server-http.ts` calls `getResolvedAuth()` for each HTTP request and WebSocket upgrade before running auth checks. - `src/gateway/server-http.probe.test.ts` verifies `/ready` re-resolves bearer auth after rotation and rejects the old token. Fix commit included in `v2026.4.15` and absent from `v2026.4.14`: - `acd4e0a32f12e1ad85f3130f63b42443ce90f094` via PR #66651 Thanks to @zsxsoft, Keen Security Lab, and @qclawer for reporting this issue.

CVE-2026-43585 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.4.15
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.4.15
2026.4.15

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-xmxx-7p24-h892
NVD — CVE-2026-43585 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43585
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/66651
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/acd4e0a32f12e1ad85f3130f63b42443ce90f094
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-bearer-token-validation-bypass-via-stale-secretref-resolution

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-43585?
CVE-2026-43585 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Gateway HTTP endpoints re-resolve bearer auth after SecretRef rotation under CWE-672: Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.4.15 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-43585?
Upgrading to 2026.4.15 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.4.15. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.4.15 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-43585?
CVE-2026-43585 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-43585?
CVE-2026-43585 is classified under CWE-672: Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release (The product uses, accesses, or otherwise operates on a resource after that resource has been expired, released, or revoked.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-43585?
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-xmxx-7p24-h892",
  "modified" : "2026-05-12T13:35:23Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-17T22:32:02Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-43585" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Gateway HTTP endpoints re-resolve bearer auth after SecretRef rotation",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nGateway HTTP and WebSocket handlers captured the resolved bearer-auth configuration when the server started. After a SecretRef rotation, the already-running gateway could continue accepting the old bearer token until restart.\n\n## Impact\n\nA bearer token that should have been revoked by SecretRef rotation could remain valid on the gateway HTTP and upgrade surfaces for the lifetime of the process. Severity remains high because the old token could continue to authorize gateway requests after operators believed it was rotated out.\n\n## Affected versions\n\n- Affected: `< 2026.4.15`\n- Patched: `2026.4.15`\n\n## Fix\n\nOpenClaw `2026.4.15` resolves active gateway auth from the runtime secret snapshot per request and per upgrade instead of using a stale startup-time value.\n\nVerified in `v2026.4.15`:\n\n- `src/gateway/server.impl.ts` exposes `getResolvedAuth()` backed by the current runtime secret snapshot.\n- `src/gateway/server-http.ts` calls `getResolvedAuth()` for each HTTP request and WebSocket upgrade before running auth checks.\n- `src/gateway/server-http.probe.test.ts` verifies `/ready` re-resolves bearer auth after rotation and rejects the old token.\n\nFix commit included in `v2026.4.15` and absent from `v2026.4.14`:\n\n- `acd4e0a32f12e1ad85f3130f63b42443ce90f094` via PR #66651\n\nThanks to @zsxsoft, Keen Security Lab, and @qclawer for reporting this issue.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.4.15"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-xmxx-7p24-h892"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43585"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/66651"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/acd4e0a32f12e1ad85f3130f63b42443ce90f094"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-bearer-token-validation-bypass-via-stale-secretref-resolution"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-324", "CWE-672" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-17T22:32:02Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}