How severe is CVE-2026-44998?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2026-44998 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-44998?

CVE-2026-44998 affects the following packages: openclaw (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix CVE-2026-44998?

Update openclaw to 2026.4.20 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-44998 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2026-44998 in my npm dependencies?

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.

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-44998 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.

Is CVE-2026-44998 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2026-44998 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2026-44998?

CVE-2026-44998 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.7%, placing it in the 54th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-44998?

CVE-2026-44998 is classified as CWE-863 (CWE-863). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2026-44998 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2026-44998 was published on May 11, 2026 and was last updated on October 28, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

📦 npm

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2026-44998 — openclaw

Fix: openclaw/openclaw@0e7a992

CVE-2026-44998 is a CWE-863 vulnerability in openclaw. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.

OpenClaw < 2026.4.20 - Tool Policy Bypass via Bundled MCP/LSP Tools

Also known asGHSA-qrp5-gfw2-gxv4

Published

May 11, 2026

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 7, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

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-2026-44998.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.7%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs54th percentile — riskier than 54% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

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.

133other npm packages depend on this — each one inherits the vulnerability until it's patched upstream

openclawnpm

2.6Mdownloads / week

Description

Affected Packages / Versions

Package: openclaw (npm)
Affected versions: < 2026.4.20
Patched version: 2026.4.20

Impact

Bundled MCP and LSP tools could be appended to the agent's effective tool set after the normal tool-policy pipeline had already filtered core tools. If an operator configured a restrictive policy, such as a tool profile, explicit allow/deny list, owner-only tool restriction, sandbox tool policy, or subagent tool policy, a bundled MCP/LSP tool could remain available even though the same policy would have denied it.

The issue required a configured bundled MCP or LSP tool source and an operator policy that should have restricted that tool. This was a local agent policy-enforcement bypass, not an unauthenticated remote gateway compromise. Severity is medium.

Fix

OpenClaw now applies a final effective tool policy pass to bundled MCP/LSP tools before merging them into the tool set used by normal runs and compaction. The pass covers profile policy, provider profile policy, global/agent/group policies, owner-only filtering, sandbox tool policy, and subagent tool policy.

Fix commit:

0e7a992d3f3155199c1acc2dd9a53c5b3a4d3ada

Release

Fixed in OpenClaw 2026.4.20.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`openclaw`	all versions	2026.4.20`npm install openclaw@2026.4.20`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

openclawopenclaw

< 2026.4.20

range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
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 2026.4.20 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-44998 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.

Frequently Asked Questions

## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `< 2026.4.20` - Patched version: `2026.4.20` ## Impact Bundled MCP and LSP tools could be appended to the agent's effective tool set after the normal tool-policy pipeline had already filtered core tools. If an operator configured a restrictive policy, such as a tool profile, explicit allow/deny list, owner-only tool restriction, sandbox tool policy, or subagent tool policy, a bundled MCP/LSP tool could remain available even though the same policy would have denied it. The issue required a configured bundled MC

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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