Which versions of OpenClaw are affected by CVE-2026-42423?

OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains an approval-bypass vulnerability allowing low-privileged users to execute arbitrary code on critical infrastructure hosts (gateways and node exec hosts), enabling…. A patch is available.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-42423?

Within 24 hours, inventory all OpenClaw deployments and identify systems running versions prior to 2026.4.8 with low-privileged user access to gateway or node exec hosts. Within 7 days, apply OpenClaw patch 2026.4.8 or later to all affected systems, prioritizing gateway and node exec hosts, and validate successful deployment. Within 30 days, audit approval workflow logs for suspicious inline eval requests or timeout-related anomalies, review low-privilege account access policies for critical hosts, and implement monitoring for approval timeout exploitation attempts.

OpenClaw CVE-2026-42423

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-42423?

CVE-2026-42423 has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 7.7 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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: 0.0%.

EUVD-2026-26126 HIGH

Not Failing Securely ('Failing Open') (CWE-636)

2026-04-28 VulnCheck

Authentication Bypass Openclaw

7.7

CVSS 4.0 · NVD

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY

7.7 HIGH

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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

vuln.today AI

7.5 HIGH

AC:H and PR:L reflect an attacker needing existing low-privilege host access plus the approval-timeout race; full command execution within the same trust boundary gives S:U and C/I/A:H.

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from NVD.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Lifecycle Timeline

Source Code Evidence Fetched

Jul 24, 2026 - 04:16 vuln.today

Analysis Generated

Jul 24, 2026 - 04:16 vuln.today

CVSS changed

Apr 28, 2026 - 19:52 NVD

7.5 (HIGH) 7.7 (HIGH)

EUVD ID Assigned

Apr 28, 2026 - 19:30 euvd

EUVD-2026-26126

Patch released

Apr 28, 2026 - 19:30 nvd

Patch available

CVE Published

Apr 28, 2026 - 18:10 nvd

HIGH 7.7

DescriptionCVE.org

OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains an approval-timeout fallback mechanism that bypasses strictInlineEval explicit-approval requirements on gateway and node exec hosts. Attackers can exploit this timeout fallback to execute inline eval commands that should require explicit user approval, circumventing the intended security boundary.

AnalysisAI

Explicit-approval bypass in OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 lets an attacker with low-privileged access to gateway or node exec hosts run inline eval commands that the strictInlineEval control is supposed to gate behind manual user approval. The flaw is a fail-open approval-timeout fallback: when an approval prompt is not answered in time, the system permits the eval instead of denying it, defeating the intended trust boundary. No public exploit identified at time of analysis; EPSS is very low (0.04%, 12th percentile) and CISA SSVC records no observed exploitation, though technical impact is rated total.

Technical ContextAI

OpenClaw is a user-controlled local assistant (npm package openclaw) that can execute inline eval commands on gateway and node exec hosts. The strictInlineEval feature is a security control designed to force explicit, interactive user approval before such commands run. The root cause is classified as CWE-636 (Not Failing Securely / 'Failing Open'): the approval workflow includes a timeout fallback path that, on expiry, defaults to allowing the command rather than rejecting it. Because the safe default of a security-approval gate should be deny-on-uncertainty, this timeout fallback inverts the intended behavior and silently converts a mandatory-approval action into an auto-approved one.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade the openclaw npm package to 2026.4.8, which contains the verified fix (commit d7c3210cd6f5fdfdc1beff4c9541673e814354d5) with regression tests for the approval boundary. This is the primary and recommended action. If immediate upgrade is not possible, reduce exposure by restricting who can reach and authenticate to the gateway and node exec hosts, and avoid relying on strictInlineEval as a sole control until patched - treat any inline eval capability on those hosts as effectively ungated, since the timeout fallback can auto-approve; where feasible, disable or remove inline eval execution on exec hosts entirely, accepting the loss of that automation feature as the trade-off. Consult the vendor advisory at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-q2gc-xjqw-qp89 and the patch commit at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/d7c3210cd6f5fdfdc1beff4c9541673e814354d5 for authoritative guidance.