OpenclawApplication

CVE-2026-32041

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2026.3.1 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 fail to properly handle authentication bootstrap errors during startup, allowing browser-control routes to remain accessible without authentication. Local processes or loopback-reachable SSRF paths can exploit this to access browser-control routes including evaluate-capable actions without valid credentials.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

OpenClaw versions before 2026.3.1 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability where bootstrap errors during application startup cause the authentication system to fail insecurely, leaving browser-control routes (including evaluate-capable actions) accessible without any credentials. Attackers can exploit this via local processes or loopback-reachable SSRF vectors.

MitigationUpgrade to OpenClaw 2026.3.1 or later, which implements fail-secure authentication bootstrap handling. Until upgraded, ensure no untrusted local processes or SSRF-accessible paths can reach the application.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
OpenclawApplication
Affected:< 2026.3.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine installed OpenClaw version
    Run the command to display the OpenClaw version (e.g., openclaw --version, openclaw -v, or check package.json/VERSION file depending on installation method)
    Affected if The version shown is less than 2026.3.1 (e.g., 2026.2.0, 2025.x, etc.)
  2. Identify if browser-control routes are network-exposed
    Review network listener configuration and check if the application binds to non-loopback interfaces (0.0.0.0) or is accessible via network endpoints reachable by untrusted processes or SSRF vectors
    Affected if The application listens on 0.0.0.0 or an IP accessible to untrusted local processes or external SSRF attackers
  3. Examine application startup logs for bootstrap errors
    Review logs from the most recent application startup (check standard log locations or run the application with logging enabled) for any errors, warnings, or failures occurring during the authentication bootstrap phase
    Affected if Bootstrap errors, exceptions, or failures appear in the startup logs related to authentication initialization
  4. Test unauthenticated access to browser-control evaluate actions
    Send an HTTP request to a known browser-control endpoint that should require authentication (such as an evaluate-capable action endpoint) without providing any credentials
    Affected if The request succeeds and returns actionable content or command execution capabilities without authentication being enforced

You are affected if running any OpenClaw version below 2026.3.1 AND your environment allows untrusted local processes or SSRF-accessible paths to reach the application, especially if bootstrap errors are present in logs.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2026.3.1 or later
Fixed in 2026.3.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to OpenClaw 2026.3.1 or later, which implements fail-secure authentication bootstrap handling. Until upgraded, ensure no untrusted local processes or SSRF-accessible paths can reach the application.

Fix this in Openclaw Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-32041 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data