CVE-2026-43528: OpenClaw Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8372-7vhw-cm6q
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CWE-212
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-43528 is a HIGH remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves config.get redaction bypass through sourceconfig and runtimeconfig aliases. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.4.14.

CVE-2026-43528 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-43528
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8372-7vhw-cm6q
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-43528

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: 2026.4.14 
npm install openclaw@2026.4.14
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-2026-43528, 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 2026.4.14), 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-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer, where the product stores, transfers, or shares a resource that contains sensitive information, but it does not properly remove that information before the product makes the resource available to unauthorized actors. 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 config.get redaction bypass through sourceConfig and runtimeConfig aliases. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` - Ecosystem: npm - Affected versions: `< 2026.4.14` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.14` ## Impact An authenticated gateway client with config read access could receive unredacted secrets through alias fields that survived redaction, including provider API keys, gateway auth material, and channel credentials. ## Technical Details The fix explicitly overwrites `sourceConfig` and `runtimeConfig` with the same redacted copies used for `resolved` and `config`, including the invalid-snapshot branch. Tests now cover both alias fields. ## Fix The issue was fixed in #66030. The first stable tag containing the fix is `v2026.4.14`, and `openclaw@2026.4.14` includes the fix. ## Fix Commit(s) - `86734ef93a2f25063371b04f1946eb300548acd4` - PR: #66030 ## Release Process Note Users should upgrade to `openclaw` 2026.4.14 or newer. The latest npm release, `2026.4.14`, already includes the fix. ## Credits Thanks to @zsxsoft, with sponsorship from @KeenSecurityLab and @qclawer for reporting this issue.

CVE-2026-43528 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.4.14
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.4.14
2026.4.14

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-8372-7vhw-cm6q
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/66030
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/86734ef93a2f25063371b04f1946eb300548acd4
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-43528?
CVE-2026-43528 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving config.get redaction bypass through sourceConfig and runtimeConfig aliases under CWE-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.4.14 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-43528?
Upgrading to 2026.4.14 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.4.14. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.4.14 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-43528?
CVE-2026-43528 is classified under CWE-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer (The product stores, transfers, or shares a resource that contains sensitive information, but it does not properly remove that information before the product makes the resource available to unauthorized actors.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-43528?
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-8372-7vhw-cm6q",
  "modified" : "2026-05-05T11:56:39Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-17T21:47:15Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-43528" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: config.get redaction bypass through sourceConfig and runtimeConfig aliases",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nconfig.get redaction bypass through sourceConfig and runtimeConfig aliases.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw`\n- Ecosystem: npm\n- Affected versions: `< 2026.4.14`\n- Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.14`\n\n## Impact\n\nAn authenticated gateway client with config read access could receive unredacted secrets through alias fields that survived redaction, including provider API keys, gateway auth material, and channel credentials.\n\n## Technical Details\n\nThe fix explicitly overwrites `sourceConfig` and `runtimeConfig` with the same redacted copies used for `resolved` and `config`, including the invalid-snapshot branch. Tests now cover both alias fields.\n\n## Fix\n\nThe issue was fixed in #66030. The first stable tag containing the fix is `v2026.4.14`, and `openclaw@2026.4.14` includes the fix.\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- `86734ef93a2f25063371b04f1946eb300548acd4`\n- PR: #66030\n\n## Release Process Note\n\nUsers should upgrade to `openclaw` 2026.4.14 or newer. The latest npm release, `2026.4.14`, already includes the fix.\n\n## Credits\n\nThanks to @zsxsoft, with sponsorship from @KeenSecurityLab and @qclawer for reporting this issue.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.4.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-8372-7vhw-cm6q"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/66030"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/86734ef93a2f25063371b04f1946eb300548acd4"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-212" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-17T21:47:15Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}