CVE-2026-43578 — OpenClaw 2026.3.31 < 2026.4.10 - Privilege Escalation via Missed Async Exec Completion Events in Heartbeat Owner Downgr…

Affected: OpenClaw

OpenClaw versions 2026.3.31 before 2026.4.10 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability where heartbeat owner downgrade detection misses local background async exec completion events. Attackers can exploit this by providing untrusted completion content to leave a run in a more privileged context than intended.

GHSA-g375-h3v6-4873 — OpenClaw: Heartbeat owner downgrade missed local async exec completion events

Affected: npm: openclaw

## Summary

Heartbeat owner downgrade missed local async exec completion events.

## Affected Packages / Versions

- Package: `openclaw` - Ecosystem: npm - Affected versions: `>= 2026.3.31 < 2026.4.10` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.4.10`

## Impact

Local background exec completion text could be missed by heartbeat owner-downgrade detection, leaving a run in a more privileged context than intended after untrusted completion content.

## Technical Details

The fix expands exec-completion detection to local background exec formats and adds targeted tests.

## Fix

The issue was fixed in #64376. The first stable tag containing the fix is `v2026.4.10`, and `openclaw@2026.4.14` includes the fix.

## Fix Commit(s)

- `19a2e9ddb5a8a494abcba812bb11f51075026a27` - PR: #64376

## Release Process Note

Users should upgrade to `openclaw` 2026.4.10 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-2026-43578 — OpenClaw 2026.3.31 < 2026.4.10 - Privilege Escalation via Missed Async Exec Completion Events in Heartbeat Owner Downgr…

GHSA-g375-h3v6-4873 — OpenClaw: Heartbeat owner downgrade missed local async exec completion events