CVE-2026-43585Network attack vector

Unauthorized gateway access via stale bearer authentication

Published May 6, 2026 · Updated May 6, 2026

Authentication bypass in OpenClaw before 2026.4.15 allows remote attackers with a rotated-out bearer token to access the Gateway. Gateway HTTP and WebSocket handlers retain startup-resolved bearer authentication instead of resolving the current SecretRef for each request or upgrade. Exploitation requires possession of a previously valid token and a live Gateway process that has not restarted since rotation, after which protected gateway requests remain authorized.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability0.54%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Authentication bypass in OpenClaw before 2026.4.15 allows remote attackers with a rotated-out bearer token to access the Gateway. Gateway HTTP and WebSocket handlers retain startup-resolved bearer authentication instead of resolving the current SecretRef for each request or upgrade. Exploitation requires possession of a previously valid token and a live Gateway process that has not restarted since rotation, after which protected gateway requests remain authorized.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-43585
Published
May 6, 2026
Updated
May 6, 2026
Vendor
OpenClaw Foundation
Product
OpenClaw
Classifications
CWE-672, T1550.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 6, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 6, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <2026.4.15

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

OpenClaw Foundation · OpenClawversion=0 <2026.4.15

Published CVSS scores

9.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
8.1VulnCheckCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
9.2VulnCheckCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-672Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release
T1550.001Application Access Token

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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