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
Technical Details
The fix includes wake and hook event reasons in owner-downgrade inspection and forces downgrade for untrusted hook wake events.
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.
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.
The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions. Typical impact: unauthorized data access or execution of privileged operations.
CVE-2026-43566 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2026.4.14); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
The issue was fixed in #66031. The first stable tag containing the fix is v2026.4.14, and [email protected] includes the fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-43566? CVE-2026-43566 is a medium-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in openclaw (npm), affecting versions >= 2026.4.7, < 2026.4.14. It is fixed in 2026.4.14. The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions.
- How severe is CVE-2026-43566? CVE-2026-43566 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of openclaw are affected by CVE-2026-43566? openclaw (npm) versions >= 2026.4.7, < 2026.4.14 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-43566? Yes. CVE-2026-43566 is fixed in 2026.4.14. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-43566 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-43566 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-43566 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-43566? Upgrade
openclawto 2026.4.14 or later.