CVE-2026-35656: OpenClaw Forwarding Header Spoofing Bypasses Gateway.trustedProxies Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-844j-xrrq-wgh4
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-290
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-35656 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) forwarding header spoofing bypasses gateway.trustedproxies vulnerability (CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves forwarding header spoofing bypasses gateway.trustedproxies origin detection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.22.

CVE-2026-35656 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-35656
GHSA Identifier GHSA-844j-xrrq-wgh4
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-35656

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-2026-35656, 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-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing, where this attack-focused weakness is caused by incorrectly implemented authentication schemes that are subject to spoofing attacks. 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 gateway.trustedProxies was configured, spoofed loopback hops in forwarding headers could be accepted as the client origin and weaken downstream auth and rate-limit decisions. ## 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) - `fc2d29ea926f47c428c556e92ec981441228d2a4` ## 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/net.ts now ignores loopback forwarded hops before trusted-proxy client resolution. - That shipped origin fix is the one consumed by canvas auth and gateway auth-rate-limit paths that rely on resolved client identity. OpenClaw thanks @lintsinghua for reporting.

CVE-2026-35656 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-844j-xrrq-wgh4
NVD — CVE-2026-35656 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35656
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/fc2d29ea926f47c428c556e92ec981441228d2a4
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-xff-loopback-spoofing-bypass-in-canvas-authentication-and-rate-limiter

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-35656?
CVE-2026-35656 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Forwarding header spoofing bypasses gateway.trustedProxies origin detection under CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.22 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-35656?
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-2026-35656?
CVE-2026-35656 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-35656?
CVE-2026-35656 is classified under CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing (This attack-focused weakness is caused by incorrectly implemented authentication schemes that are subject to spoofing attacks.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-35656?
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-844j-xrrq-wgh4",
  "modified" : "2026-04-10T19:43:21Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-26T21:42:30Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-35656" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Forwarding header spoofing bypasses gateway.trustedProxies origin detection",
  "details" : "## Summary\nWhen gateway.trustedProxies was configured, spoofed loopback hops in forwarding headers could be accepted as the client origin and weaken downstream auth and rate-limit decisions.\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- `fc2d29ea926f47c428c556e92ec981441228d2a4`\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/net.ts now ignores loopback forwarded hops before trusted-proxy client resolution.\n- That shipped origin fix is the one consumed by canvas auth and gateway auth-rate-limit paths that rely on resolved client identity.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @lintsinghua for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/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-844j-xrrq-wgh4"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35656"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/fc2d29ea926f47c428c556e92ec981441228d2a4"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-xff-loopback-spoofing-bypass-in-canvas-authentication-and-rate-limiter"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-290" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-26T21:42:30Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-10T17:17:06Z"
  }
}