CVE-2026-44118: OpenClaw MCP Loopback Owner Context Is Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-r6xh-pqhr-v4xh
Share
CVSS 7.8
CWE-284 CWE-290
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-44118 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) mcp loopback owner context is vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves mcp loopback owner context is derived from server-issued bearer tokens. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.4.22.

CVE-2026-44118 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-44118
GHSA Identifier GHSA-r6xh-pqhr-v4xh
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
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-2026-44118

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: 2026.4.22 
npm install openclaw@2026.4.22
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-2026-44118, 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 2026.4.22), 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. 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 MCP loopback owner context is derived from server-issued bearer tokens. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: openclaw (npm) - Affected versions: <= 2026.4.21 - Fixed version: 2026.4.22 ## Impact The loopback MCP path accepted spoofable owner-context metadata from request headers, which could allow a non-owner loopback client to present itself as owner for owner-gated operations. ## Fix The MCP loopback runtime now issues separate owner and non-owner bearer tokens and derives senderIsOwner exclusively from which token authenticated the request. The spoofable sender-owner header is no longer emitted or trusted. ## Fix Commit(s) - 3cb1a56bfc9579a0f2336f9cfa12a8a744332a19 ## Verification - The fix commit is contained in the public v2026.4.22 tag. - openclaw@2026.4.22 is published on npm and the compiled package contains the fix. - Focused regression coverage for this path passed before publication. OpenClaw thanks @VladimirEliTokarev for reporting.

CVE-2026-44118 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.4.22
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.4.22
2026.4.22

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-r6xh-pqhr-v4xh
NVD — CVE-2026-44118 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44118
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/3cb1a56bfc9579a0f2336f9cfa12a8a744332a19
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-owner-context-spoofing-via-bearer-token-header

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-44118?
CVE-2026-44118 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving MCP loopback owner context is derived from server-issued bearer tokens under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.4.22 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-44118?
Upgrading to 2026.4.22 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.4.22. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.4.22 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-44118?
CVE-2026-44118 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-44118?
CVE-2026-44118 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-44118?
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-r6xh-pqhr-v4xh",
  "modified" : "2026-05-12T13:37:11Z",
  "published" : "2026-05-04T20:22:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-44118" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: MCP loopback owner context is derived from server-issued bearer tokens",
  "details" : "## Summary\nMCP loopback owner context is derived from server-issued bearer tokens.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: openclaw (npm)\n- Affected versions: <= 2026.4.21\n- Fixed version: 2026.4.22\n\n## Impact\nThe loopback MCP path accepted spoofable owner-context metadata from request headers, which could allow a non-owner loopback client to present itself as owner for owner-gated operations.\n\n## Fix\nThe MCP loopback runtime now issues separate owner and non-owner bearer tokens and derives senderIsOwner exclusively from which token authenticated the request. The spoofable sender-owner header is no longer emitted or trusted.\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n- 3cb1a56bfc9579a0f2336f9cfa12a8a744332a19\n\n## Verification\n- The fix commit is contained in the public v2026.4.22 tag.\n- openclaw@2026.4.22 is published on npm and the compiled package contains the fix.\n- Focused regression coverage for this path passed before publication.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @VladimirEliTokarev for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/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" : "2026.4.22"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.4.21"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-r6xh-pqhr-v4xh"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44118"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/3cb1a56bfc9579a0f2336f9cfa12a8a744332a19"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-owner-context-spoofing-via-bearer-token-header"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284", "CWE-290" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-05-04T20:22:42Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}