CVE-2026-32970 — openclaw
CVE-2026-32970 is a CWE-636 vulnerability in openclaw. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.
OpenClaw < 2026.3.11 - Credential Fallback Logic Bypass via Unavailable Local Auth SecretRefs
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-32970.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
openclawnpmDescription
Summary
In affected versions of openclaw, local gateway helper credential resolution treated configured but unavailable gateway.auth.token and gateway.auth.password SecretRefs as if they were unset and could fall back to gateway.remote.* credentials in local mode.
Impact
This could cause local CLI and helper paths to select the wrong credential source instead of failing closed for configured local auth SecretRefs. We did not confirm a server-side gateway-authentication boundary bypass for this issue.
Affected Packages and Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Affected versions:
<= 2026.3.8 - Fixed in:
2026.3.11
Technical Details
The local-mode fallback logic decided whether remote credential fallback was allowed based on resolved credential values rather than on whether the local auth input was actually configured. A configured-but-unavailable local SecretRef therefore looked "absent" to the helper layer.
Fix
OpenClaw now tracks whether the local auth input is configured separately from whether it resolves successfully. In local mode, remote fallback is allowed only when the matching local auth input is truly unset. The fix shipped in [email protected].
Workarounds
Upgrade to 2026.3.11 or later.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.3.11npm install openclaw@2026.3.11 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openclaw, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update openclaw to 2026.3.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-32970 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-32970 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2026-32970. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-32970 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2026-32970 across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.