CVE-2026-43566: OpenClaw Heartbeat Owner Downgrade Missed Untrusted Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g2hm-779g-vm32
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-863 CWE-184
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-43566 is a MODERATE (CVSS 9.1) heartbeat owner downgrade missed untrusted vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves heartbeat owner downgrade missed untrusted webhook wake events. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.4.14.

CVE-2026-43566 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-43566
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g2hm-779g-vm32
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-43566

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-2026-43566, 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-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. 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 Heartbeat owner downgrade missed untrusted webhook wake events. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` - Ecosystem: npm - Affected versions: `>= 2026.4.7 < 2026.4.14` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.14` ## Impact Heartbeat owner downgrade logic could skip webhook wake events carrying untrusted content, preserving owner-like execution context where the run should have been downgraded. ## Technical Details The fix includes wake and hook event reasons in owner-downgrade inspection and forces downgrade for untrusted hook wake events. ## Fix The issue was fixed in #66031. The first stable tag containing the fix is `v2026.4.14`, and `openclaw@2026.4.14` includes the fix. ## Fix Commit(s) - `31281bc92f55796817a92bc43f722cba1e77ab42` - PR: #66031 ## 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-2026-43566 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.4.14
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
≥ 2026.4.7
< 2026.4.14
2026.4.14

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-g2hm-779g-vm32
NVD — CVE-2026-43566 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43566
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/66031
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/31281bc92f55796817a92bc43f722cba1e77ab42
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-untrusted-webhook-wake-events

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-43566?
CVE-2026-43566 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Heartbeat owner downgrade missed untrusted webhook wake events under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.4.14 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-43566?
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 is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-43566?
CVE-2026-43566 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-43566?
CVE-2026-43566 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-43566?
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-g2hm-779g-vm32",
  "modified" : "2026-05-08T01:32:30Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-17T21:48:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-43566" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Heartbeat owner downgrade missed untrusted webhook wake events",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nHeartbeat owner downgrade missed untrusted webhook wake events.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw`\n- Ecosystem: npm\n- Affected versions: `>= 2026.4.7 < 2026.4.14`\n- Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.14`\n\n## Impact\n\nHeartbeat owner downgrade logic could skip webhook wake events carrying untrusted content, preserving owner-like execution context where the run should have been downgraded.\n\n## Technical Details\n\nThe fix includes wake and hook event reasons in owner-downgrade inspection and forces downgrade for untrusted hook wake events.\n\n## Fix\n\nThe issue was fixed in #66031. 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- `31281bc92f55796817a92bc43f722cba1e77ab42`\n- PR: #66031\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_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/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" : "2026.4.7"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.4.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-g2hm-779g-vm32"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43566"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/66031"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/31281bc92f55796817a92bc43f722cba1e77ab42"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-untrusted-webhook-wake-events"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-184", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-17T21:48:25Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-05-05T12:16:20Z"
  }
}