dbcve.org
OpenclawApplication

CVE-2026-32916

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2026.3.11 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 2026.3.7 before 2026.3.11 contain an authorization bypass vulnerability where plugin subagent routes execute gateway methods through a synthetic operator client with broad administrative scopes. Remote unauthenticated requests to plugin-owned routes can invoke runtime.subagent methods to perform privileged gateway actions including session deletion and agent execution.

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 · high confidence

OpenClaw versions 2026.3.7-2026.3.10 have an authorization bypass in plugin subagent routes. These routes execute gateway methods through a synthetic operator client that has broad administrative scopes, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to invoke runtime.subagent methods and perform privileged actions like session deletion and agent execution.

MitigationUpgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.3.11 or later. As a temporary mitigation, restrict or disable plugin subagent routes until the patch can be applied.

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:>= 2026.3.7, < 2026.3.11

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Check OpenClaw installed version
    Retrieve the installed version of the OpenClaw server or client using the package manager, CLI version flag, or startup logs. Common methods: `openclaw --version`, checking `/opt/openclaw/version`, or reviewing the service startup banner.
    Affected if The installed version is 2026.3.7, 2026.3.8, 2026.3.9, or 2026.3.10.
  2. Verify plugin subagent route status
    Inspect the OpenClaw configuration files and running service to determine whether plugin subagent routes are enabled and publicly accessible. Check for route definitions under the plugin configuration section or API endpoint listings.
    Affected if Plugin subagent routes are enabled and exposed without additional authentication barriers.
  3. Inspect synthetic operator client configuration
    Review the synthetic operator client configuration files or runtime settings to identify what scopes and permissions are assigned to this component. Look for administrative or privileged scope definitions.
    Affected if The synthetic operator client possesses broad administrative scopes such as session deletion or agent execution privileges.
  4. Confirm runtime.subagent method exposure
    Examine the API endpoints or route handlers for the presence of runtime.subagent method invocations accessible through plugin-owned routes. Test or inspect whether these methods can be reached without authentication.
    Affected if runtime.subagent methods are accessible via plugin-owned routes and can be invoked without valid authentication credentials.

You are affected if OpenClaw version is between 2026.3.7 and 2026.3.10 inclusive AND plugin subagent routes with runtime.subagent method access are enabled, allowing unauthenticated attackers to perform privileged gateway actions.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2026.3.11 or later
Fixed in 2026.3.11
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.3.11 or later. As a temporary mitigation, restrict or disable plugin subagent routes until the patch can be applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Openclaw version 2026.3.11 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current Openclaw version installed by checking the application version or package manager
  2. 2. Create a complete backup of the Openclaw installation directory and all associated data/configurations
  3. 3. Stop the Openclaw service to prevent any active sessions during upgrade
  4. 4. Upgrade Openclaw to version 2026.3.11 or later using the appropriate package manager or installation method (e.g., pip install openclaw==2026.3.11, docker pull openclaw:2026.3.11, or system package manager)
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed version matches 2026.3.11 or later
  6. 6. Restart the Openclaw service
  7. 7. Test that plugin subagent routes no longer allow unauthenticated access to privileged gateway methods such as session deletion and agent execution
  8. 8. Review system logs for any attempted exploitation attempts and monitor for suspicious activity
Caveat Review release notes for 2026.3.11 to check for any breaking changes in plugin API or configuration changes

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Openclaw Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-32916 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-32916 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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