CVE-2026-43566
Openclaw 2026.4.7 – 2026.4.14
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XSummary
CVE-2026-43566 is a critical-severity Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs (CWE-184) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 9.1 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 35th 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 map to SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-43566 is a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting OpenClaw versions 2026.4.7 through 2026.4.13. The issue stems from flawed heartbeat owner downgrade logic that skips webhook wake events carrying untrusted content, allowing attackers to bypass expected privilege reductions. Published on 2026-05-05, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N) and is associated with CWE-184 (Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs).
Remote attackers require no privileges or user interaction to exploit this vulnerability over the network with low complexity. By sending crafted untrusted webhook wake events, they can preserve an owner-like execution context in runs that should have been downgraded, potentially leading to high confidentiality and integrity impacts such as unauthorized access to sensitive data or modification of resources.
Mitigation involves upgrading to OpenClaw version 2026.4.14 or later, where the issue is addressed via a specific patch commit. Additional details on the fix and remediation steps are available in the GitHub security advisory (GHSA-g2hm-779g-vm32) and VulnCheck advisory.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-27283
Vulnerability Data
OpenClaw versions 2026.4.7 before 2026.4.14 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability where heartbeat owner downgrade logic skips webhook wake events carrying untrusted content. Attackers can exploit this by sending untrusted webhook wake events to preserve owner-like execution context when the run…
more
should have been downgraded.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 2 hardening rules · 1 OS baseline
V3.5.2V4.4.2V16.2.5
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
SI-10 requires validity checks on inputs, which structurally replaces incomplete deny-lists with complete allow-list or sanitization logic.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly require complete, positive input validation instead of incomplete denylists.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can discover missing input checks, but does not prevent the weakness during development.
Application security requirements can mandate complete input validation rules, but the control itself does not prescribe how to build those rules.
Secure architecture principles include robust input validation design, yet the control is broader than this single weakness.
Secure coding standards directly require exhaustive allow-lists or complete deny-lists for inputs, addressing the root cause of incomplete disallowed-input lists.