CVE-2026-40045: OpenClaw < 2026.4.2 - Cleartext Credential Transmission via Unencrypted WebSocket Gateway Endpoints

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.7 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-04-21 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-319

Description

OpenClaw before 2026.4.2 accepts non-loopback cleartext ws:// gateway endpoints and transmits stored gateway credentials over unencrypted connections. Attackers can forge discovery results or craft setup codes to redirect clients to malicious endpoints, disclosing plaintext gateway credentials.

Affected products

OpenClaw: before 2026.4.2 — fixed in 2026.4.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: OpenClaw 2026.4.2. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/a941a4fef9bc43b2973c92d0dcff5b8a426210c5
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-83f3-hh45-vfw9
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-cleartext-credential-transmission-via-unencrypted-websocket-gateway-endpoints

Get alerted when CVE-2026-40045 or the next vulnerability affects your stack