Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2026-41329: OpenClaw: Heartbeat context inheritance bypasses sandbox via senderIsOwner escalation
OpenClaw before 2026.3.31 contains a sandbox bypass vulnerability allowing attackers to escalate privileges via heartbeat context inheritance and senderIsOwner parameter manipulation.
CVSS 9.0 Critical EPSS 0.5% · p43
Should you act?
Critical, preconditions apply
Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 0.5%, percentile 43: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.5% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 43% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
openclaw(npm) <= 2026.3.28, fixed in 2026.3.31. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
OpenClaw before 2026.3.31 contains a sandbox bypass vulnerability allowing attackers to escalate privileges via heartbeat context inheritance and senderIsOwner parameter manipulation. Attackers can exploit improper context validation to bypass sandbox restrictions and achieve unauthorized privilege escalation.
From the GitHub advisory
Summary Heartbeat context inheritance bypasses sandbox via senderIsOwner escalation
Current Maintainer Triage - Status: open - Normalized severity: Critical
Affected Packages / Versions - Package: openclaw (npm) - Latest published npm version: 2026.3.31 - Vulnerable version range: = 2026.3.31 - First stable tag containing the fix: v2026.3.31
Fix Commit(s) - a30214a624946fc5c85c9558a27c1580172374fd — 2026-03-31T09:06:51+09:00
OpenClaw thanks @AntAISecurityLab for reporting.
Weakness type: CWE-648, CWE-863.
Product: openclaw (npm) · Assigned by: VulnCheck · Published: 2026-04-20
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | openclaw | <= 2026.3.28 | 2026.3.31 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| OpenClaw | OpenClaw | < 2026.3.31 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| VulnCheck | 4.0 | 9 Critical | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H |
| VulnCheck | 3.1 | 9.9 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| GitHub | 4.0 | 9.0 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Attack requirements: present (depends on deployment conditions)
- Privileges required: low (any account)
- User interaction: none
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.52% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 43.
Timeline
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-g5cg-8x5w-7jpm published (critical)
- — CVE record published by VulnCheck
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vendor and project advisories, patches
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-g5cg-8x5w-7jpm) github.com
- Patch Commit github.com
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-g5cg-8x5w-7jpm github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-41329 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-41329 nvd.nist.gov