Which versions of OpenClaw are affected by CVE-2026-41394?

OpenClaw contains an authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2026-41394, CVSS 8.8) that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute privileged administrative operations, including runtime…. A patch is available.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-41394?

Within 24 hours: inventory all OpenClaw deployments and verify current versions. Within 7 days: apply vendor patch commit 2a1db0c (March 31, 2026 or later) to all production and non-production OpenClaw instances; validate patch deployment. Within 30 days: conduct access logs audit for suspicious administrative operations on unpatched systems from the vulnerability discovery date forward.

OpenClaw CVE-2026-41394

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-41394?

CVE-2026-41394 has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.8 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.1%.

EUVD-2026-26102 HIGH

Missing Authorization (CWE-862)

2026-04-28 VulnCheck

Authentication Bypass Openclaw

8.8

CVSS 4.0 · NVD

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY

8.8 HIGH

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Lifecycle Timeline

Re-analysis Queued

Apr 28, 2026 - 20:23 vuln.today

cvss_changed

Analysis Generated

Apr 28, 2026 - 20:04 vuln.today

CVSS changed

Apr 28, 2026 - 19:52 NVD

8.2 (HIGH) 8.8 (HIGH)

EUVD ID Assigned

Apr 28, 2026 - 19:30 euvd

EUVD-2026-26102

Analysis Generated

Apr 28, 2026 - 19:30 vuln.today

Patch released

Apr 28, 2026 - 19:30 nvd

Patch available

CVE Published

Apr 28, 2026 - 18:09 nvd

HIGH 8.8

Blast Radius

ecosystem impact

† from your stack dependencies † transitive graph · vuln.today resolves 4-path depth

1 npm packages depend on openclaw (1 direct, 0 indirect)

Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 2026.3.31.

DescriptionCVE.org

OpenClaw before 2026.3.31 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability where unauthenticated plugin-auth HTTP routes receive operator runtime write scopes. Attackers can access these routes without authentication to perform privileged runtime actions intended for authorized operators.

AnalysisAI

Authentication bypass in OpenClaw allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute privileged runtime operations intended for authorized operators. The vulnerability exists in plugin-auth HTTP routes that incorrectly grant operator-level write scopes without authentication checks. Attackers can remotely exploit this flaw with low complexity (CVSS:4.0 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N) to modify runtime configurations and perform administrative actions. Vendor-released patch available as of commit 2a1db0c (March 31, 2026). No active exploitation confirmed in CISA KEV, though EPSS data unavailable for risk calibration.

Technical ContextAI

OpenClaw is an application platform with a plugin architecture that uses HTTP-based authentication routes for operator access control. The vulnerability stems from CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), where certain plugin-auth endpoints fail to enforce authentication requirements before granting elevated runtime scopes. In privilege management systems, scopes define the boundaries of what authenticated sessions can access-here, operator write scopes control runtime modifications and administrative operations. The affected CPE (cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) indicates all versions prior to the 2026.3.31 release are vulnerable. The CVSS 4.0 vector shows network-accessible exploitation (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AT:N) requiring no privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N), yielding high integrity impact (VI:H) to the vulnerable system while limiting confidentiality impact (VC:L) and causing no availability disruption (VA:N).

RemediationAI

Upgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.3.31 or later, which contains the authentication enforcement fix implemented in commit 2a1db0c0f1fa375004a95ba0ef030534790a6d47 (https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/2a1db0c0f1fa375004a95ba0ef030534790a6d47). Review the GitHub security advisory at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-mhgq-xpfq-6r66 for vendor-specific upgrade guidance. For environments unable to immediately patch, implement network-based access controls to restrict plugin-auth route access to trusted IP ranges or internal networks only-configure reverse proxy or firewall rules to block external access to paths matching /plugin-auth/* or equivalent endpoints (verify exact paths in OpenClaw documentation). Note this workaround reduces attack surface but does not eliminate risk from internal threats or compromised trusted networks. Additionally, audit existing runtime configurations for unauthorized modifications made prior to patching, as attackers may have already leveraged the bypass to inject persistent malicious settings. Compensating controls carry the trade-off of limiting legitimate remote operator access, requiring VPN or bastion host connectivity for authorized administrators.