CVE-2026-32918
Published: 29 March 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-32918 is a critical-severity Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 9.2 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 1.1th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SC-39 (Process Isolation).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2026-32918 is a session sandbox escape vulnerability affecting OpenClaw versions before 2026.3.11, specifically in the session_status tool. This issue, tied to CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization), allows sandboxed subagents to bypass isolation by supplying arbitrary sessionKey values, enabling access to parent or sibling session state. As a result, attackers can read or modify session data outside their sandbox scope, including persisted model overrides. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.4 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N) and was published on 2026-03-29.
Local attackers with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability by running a sandboxed subagent and invoking the session_status tool with manipulated sessionKey inputs. No user interaction is required, and the low attack complexity makes it accessible to adversaries with adjacent system access. Successful exploitation changes the scope to high, providing high-level confidentiality and integrity impacts, such as exfiltrating sensitive session data or altering configurations across sessions.
Mitigation details are available in advisories from the OpenClaw GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-wcxr-59v9-rxr8) and VulnCheck (vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-session-sandbox-escape-via-session-status-tool), which recommend upgrading to OpenClaw 2026.3.11 or later to address the flaw. Practitioners should consult these sources for additional remediation steps and verification guidance.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-16999
Vulnerability details
OpenClaw before 2026.3.11 contains a session sandbox escape vulnerability in the session_status tool that allows sandboxed subagents to access parent or sibling session state. Attackers can supply arbitrary sessionKey values to read or modify session data outside their sandbox scope,…
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including persisted model overrides.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Sandbox escape via incorrect authorization (arbitrary sessionKey) allows low-privileged subagents to access/modify parent/sibling session state and configurations, directly enabling privilege escalation beyond the sandbox boundary with scope change.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces approved authorizations to prevent sandboxed subagents from accessing unauthorized parent or sibling session data via arbitrary sessionKey values.
Maintains robust process isolation for sandboxed subagents, directly mitigating session sandbox escape vulnerabilities in tools like session_status.
Requires timely identification, reporting, and remediation of flaws like CVE-2026-32918 through patching to OpenClaw 2026.3.11 or later.