Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2026-43585: OpenClaw: Gateway HTTP endpoints re-resolve bearer auth after SecretRef rotation
OpenClaw before 2026.4.15 captures resolved bearer-auth configuration at startup, allowing revoked tokens to remain valid after SecretRef rotation.
CVSS 9.2 Critical EPSS 0.8% · p56
Should you act?
Critical and remotely reachable
No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. 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 0.8%, percentile 56: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.8% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 56% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
openclaw(npm) < 2026.4.15, fixed in 2026.4.15. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
OpenClaw before 2026.4.15 captures resolved bearer-auth configuration at startup, allowing revoked tokens to remain valid after SecretRef rotation. Gateway HTTP and WebSocket handlers fail to re-resolve authentication per-request, enabling attackers to use rotated-out bearer tokens for unauthorized gateway access.
From the GitHub advisory
Summary
Gateway HTTP and WebSocket handlers captured the resolved bearer-auth configuration when the server started. After a SecretRef rotation, the already-running gateway could continue accepting the old bearer token until restart.
Impact
A bearer token that should have been revoked by SecretRef rotation could remain valid on the gateway HTTP and upgrade surfaces for the lifetime of the process. Severity remains high because the old token could continue to authorize gateway requests after operators believed it was rotated out.
Affected versions
Weakness type: CWE-672, CWE-324.
Product: openclaw (npm) · Assigned by: VulnCheck · Published: 2026-05-06
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | openclaw | < 2026.4.15 | 2026.4.15 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| OpenClaw | OpenClaw | < 2026.4.15 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| VulnCheck | 4.0 | 9.2 Critical | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
| VulnCheck | 3.1 | 8.1 High | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| GitHub | 4.0 | 9.2 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: high (needs special conditions)
- Attack requirements: present (depends on deployment conditions)
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- 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): 0.80% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 56.
Timeline
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-xmxx-7p24-h892 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-xmxx-7p24-h892) github.com
- Patch Commit github.com
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-xmxx-7p24-h892 github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-43585 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-43585 nvd.nist.gov