CVE-2026-32041: OpenClaw Browser Control Startup Could Continue Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vpj2-69hf-rppw
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CVSS 6.9
CWE-306
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-32041 is a HIGH (CVSS 6.9) browser control startup could continue vulnerability (CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves browser control startup could continue unauthenticated after auth bootstrap failure. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.1.

CVE-2026-32041 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-32041
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vpj2-69hf-rppw
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.9
CWE Classification CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.9

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
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 Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2026-32041

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: 2026.3.1 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.1
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-2026-32041, 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 2026.3.1), 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 When browser control started without explicit auth credentials, OpenClaw attempted to bootstrap auth automatically. In affected versions, if that bootstrap step threw an error, startup could continue and expose browser-control routes without authentication. ### Impact On affected deployments, a local process (or a loopback-reachable SSRF path) could access browser-control routes, including evaluate-capable actions, without auth. ### Fix Startup now fails closed: if bootstrap auth fails and no explicit token/password is configured, browser-control startup aborts. ### Affected and Patched Versions - Affected: `<= 2026.2.26` - Patched: `2026.3.1`

CVE-2026-32041 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.1
2026.3.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-vpj2-69hf-rppw
NVD — CVE-2026-32041 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32041
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-unauthenticated-browser-control-access-via-failed-auth-bootstrap

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-32041?
CVE-2026-32041 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Browser control startup could continue unauthenticated after auth bootstrap failure under CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.1 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-32041?
Upgrading to 2026.3.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-32041?
CVE-2026-32041 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.9 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-32041?
CVE-2026-32041 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-2026-32041?
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-vpj2-69hf-rppw",
  "modified" : "2026-03-30T13:17:04Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-02T21:49:14Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-32041" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Browser control startup could continue unauthenticated after auth bootstrap failure",
  "details" : "### Summary\nWhen browser control started without explicit auth credentials, OpenClaw attempted to bootstrap auth automatically. In affected versions, if that bootstrap step threw an error, startup could continue and expose browser-control routes without authentication.\n\n### Impact\nOn affected deployments, a local process (or a loopback-reachable SSRF path) could access browser-control routes, including evaluate-capable actions, without auth.\n\n### Fix\nStartup now fails closed: if bootstrap auth fails and no explicit token/password is configured, browser-control startup aborts.\n\n### Affected and Patched Versions\n- Affected: `<= 2026.2.26`\n- Patched: `2026.3.1`",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-vpj2-69hf-rppw"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32041"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-unauthenticated-browser-control-access-via-failed-auth-bootstrap"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-306" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-02T21:49:14Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-19T22:16:40Z"
  }
}