CVE-2026-43578
criticalpriority · track · 0EPSS 0.003 · 21 %ileDEEUUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-27
OpenClaw versions 2026.3.31 before 2026.4.10 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability where heartbeat owner downgrade detection misses local background async exec completion events. Attackers can exploit this by providing untrusted completion content to leave a run in a more privileged context than intended.
cvss
Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.
base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode⚠ sources disagree · medium–critical · 6.9–9.1
ssvc
A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.
weaknesses
The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.
affected products (5)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
advisories (2)
Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.
- WID-SEC-W-2026-1161OpenClaw: Mehrere SchwachstellenDeutsch2026-04-16csaf · cert_bundDE
Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in OpenClaw ausnutzen, um erweiterte Rechte zu erlangen, beliebigen Code auszuführen, Sicherheitsmaßnahmen zu umgehen, Daten offenzulegen oder zu manipulieren oder andere, nicht näher spezifizierte Angriffe durchzuführen.
- GHSA-g375-h3v6-4873OpenClaw: Heartbeat owner downgrade missed local async exec completion events2026-04-17ghsa · osvUS
## Summary Heartbeat owner downgrade missed local async exec completion events. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` - Ecosystem: npm - Affected versions: `>= 2026.3.31 < 2026.4.10` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.10` ## Impact Local background exec completion text could be missed by heartbeat owner-downgrade detection, leaving a run in a more privileged context than intended after untrusted completion content. ## Technical Details The fix expands exec-completion detection to local background exec formats and adds targeted tests. ## Fix The issue was fixed in #64376. The first stable tag containing the fix is `v2026.4.10`, and `openclaw@2026.4.14` includes the fix. ## Fix Commit(s) - `19a2e9ddb5a8a494abcba812bb11f51075026a27` - PR: #64376 ## Release Process Note Users should upgrade to `openclaw` 2026.4.10 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.
also known as (3)
Other names and identifiers for this entity.
sources
Which sources assert this record, and when.
references (8)
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releasesPatchcnnvd
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43578cnnvd
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/19a2e9ddb5a8a494abcba812bb11f51075026a27enisa_euvd
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-g375-h3v6-4873enisa_euvd
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-missed-async-exec-completion-events-in-heartbeat-owner-downgradeenisa_euvd
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/19a2e9ddb5a8a494abcba812bb11f51075026a27Patchnvd
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-g375-h3v6-4873MitigationVendor Advisorynvd
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-missed-async-exec-completion-events-in-heartbeat-owner-downgradeThird Party Advisorynvd
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