{"description":"Trending threats, MITRE ATT\u0026CK coverage, and detection metadata — refreshed continuously.","feed_url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/products/openclaw-2026.3.31/","home_page_url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/","items":[{"_cs_actors":[],"_cs_cves":[{"cvss":9.1,"id":"CVE-2026-43578"}],"_cs_exploited":false,"_cs_products":["OpenClaw (2026.3.31)","OpenClaw (\u003c 2026.4.10)"],"_cs_severities":["high"],"_cs_tags":["privilege-escalation","vulnerability"],"_cs_type":"advisory","_cs_vendors":["OpenClaw"],"content_html":"\u003cp\u003eA privilege escalation vulnerability, identified as CVE-2026-43578, affects OpenClaw versions 2026.3.31 and earlier prior to 2026.4.10. The flaw stems from a failure in heartbeat owner downgrade detection, which allows local background async exec completion events to be mishandled. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by supplying malicious completion content, resulting in a process running with higher privileges than intended. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or system resources, making it a significant security risk for systems running affected versions of OpenClaw.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"attack-chain\"\u003eAttack Chain\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAttacker gains initial access to the system with a low-privilege account.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAttacker crafts malicious completion content designed to exploit the heartbeat owner downgrade detection flaw.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe attacker triggers a background async exec process within OpenClaw.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe malicious completion content is provided to the async exec process.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDue to the vulnerability, the heartbeat owner downgrade detection fails to properly validate the completion event.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe OpenClaw process continues execution, but now with elevated privileges based on the crafted completion content.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe attacker leverages the elevated privileges to access sensitive files or execute arbitrary commands.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe attacker achieves persistence or further compromises the system.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"impact\"\u003eImpact\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuccessful exploitation of CVE-2026-43578 allows a local attacker to escalate their privileges within the OpenClaw application. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification of critical system settings, or even complete system compromise. The impact is especially significant in environments where OpenClaw is used to manage sensitive resources or control critical infrastructure components.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"recommendation\"\u003eRecommendation\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUpgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.4.10 or later to remediate CVE-2026-43578.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeploy the Sigma rule \u0026ldquo;Detect Suspicious OpenClaw Async Exec Completion\u0026rdquo; to identify potential exploitation attempts.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMonitor OpenClaw logs for unusual process behavior or privilege escalations that may indicate exploitation of this vulnerability, as described in the \u0026ldquo;Attack Chain\u0026rdquo; section.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","date_modified":"2026-05-06T20:16:33Z","date_published":"2026-05-06T20:16:33Z","id":"/briefs/2026-05-openclaw-privesc/","summary":"OpenClaw versions before 2026.4.10 are vulnerable to privilege escalation due to improper handling of background async exec completion events, potentially allowing attackers to execute code with elevated privileges by providing untrusted completion content.","title":"OpenClaw Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2026-43578)","url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2026-05-openclaw-privesc/"}],"language":"en","title":"CraftedSignal Threat Feed — OpenClaw (2026.3.31)","version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1"}