CVE-2026-43566 — OpenClaw 2026.4.7 < 2026.4.14 - Privilege Escalation via Untrusted Webhook Wake Events

Affected: OpenClaw

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 should have been downgraded.

GHSA-g2hm-779g-vm32 — OpenClaw: Heartbeat owner downgrade missed untrusted webhook wake events

Affected: npm: openclaw

## Summary

Heartbeat owner downgrade missed untrusted webhook wake events.

## Affected Packages / Versions

- Package: `openclaw` - Ecosystem: npm - Affected versions: `>= 2026.4.7 < 2026.4.14` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.14`

## Impact

Heartbeat owner downgrade logic could skip webhook wake events carrying untrusted content, preserving owner-like execution context where the run should have been downgraded.

## Technical Details

The fix includes wake and hook event reasons in owner-downgrade inspection and forces downgrade for untrusted hook wake events.

## Fix

The issue was fixed in #66031. The first stable tag containing the fix is `v2026.4.14`, and `openclaw@2026.4.14` includes the fix.

## Fix Commit(s)

- `31281bc92f55796817a92bc43f722cba1e77ab42` - PR: #66031

## Release Process Note

Users should upgrade to `openclaw` 2026.4.14 or newer. The latest npm release, `2026.4.14`, already includes the fix.

## Credits

Thanks to @zsxsoft, with sponsorship from @KeenSecurityLab and @qclawer for reporting this issue.

Most recent entries from all

CVE-2026-43566 — OpenClaw 2026.4.7 < 2026.4.14 - Privilege Escalation via Untrusted Webhook Wake Events

GHSA-g2hm-779g-vm32 — OpenClaw: Heartbeat owner downgrade missed untrusted webhook wake events