CVE-2026-45005

OpenClaw before 2026.4.23 caches resolved webhook route secrets backed by SecretRef values, allowing stale secrets to remain valid after rotation and reload. Attackers with previously valid webhook route secrets can continue authenticating requests and invoking configured webhook task flows until gateway or plugin restart.

OpenClaw before 2026.4.23 caches resolved webhook route secrets backed by SecretRef values, allowing stale secrets to remain valid after rotation and reload. Attackers with previously valid webhook route secrets can continue authenticating requests and invoking configured webhook task flows until gateway or plugin restart.

## Summary OpenClaw webhooks allowed route secrets to be backed by `SecretRef` values, but cached the resolved secret for a route. After an operator rotated the underlying secret and ran `openclaw secrets reload`, the previous resolved webhook secret could remain valid until the plugin or gateway restarted. ## Impact An attacker who already had a previously valid webhook route secret could continue authenticating webhook requests after the operator rotated the secret and reloaded secrets. This weakened credential rotation for webhook routes and could allow continued invocation of the configured webhook task flow until restart. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` on npm - Affected: versions before `2026.4.23` - Fixed: `2026.4.23` - Latest stable verified fixed: `openclaw@2026.4.23`, tag `v2026.4.23` ## Fix Webhook route authentication now resolves `SecretRef`-backed route secrets on each request. A rotated secret becomes effective after `openclaw secrets reload` without requiring a gateway or plugin restart, and the old secret is rejected. ## Fix Commit(s) - `36c4a372a0ad5dca8bfc0d93f7aab9c2f2de66fa` (`fix(webhooks): reload route secrets per request`) ## Severity Severity remains `medium`. The attack requires possession of a previously valid route secret, but the stale credential can continue to authorize webhook actions after rotation.

## Summary OpenClaw webhooks allowed route secrets to be backed by `SecretRef` values, but cached the resolved secret for a route. After an operator rotated the underlying secret and ran `openclaw secrets reload`, the previous resolved webhook secret could remain valid until the plugin or gateway restarted. ## Impact An attacker who already had a previously valid webhook route secret could continue authenticating webhook requests after the operator rotated the secret and reloaded secrets. This weakened credential rotation for webhook routes and could allow continued invocation of the configured webhook task flow until restart. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` on npm - Affected: versions before `2026.4.23` - Fixed: `2026.4.23` - Latest stable verified fixed: `openclaw@2026.4.23`, tag `v2026.4.23` ## Fix Webhook route authentication now resolves `SecretRef`-backed route secrets on each request. A rotated secret becomes effective after `openclaw secrets reload` without requiring a gateway or plugin restart, and the old secret is rejected. ## Fix Commit(s) - `36c4a372a0ad5dca8bfc0d93f7aab9c2f2de66fa` (`fix(webhooks): reload route secrets per request`) ## Severity Severity remains `medium`. The attack requires possession of a previously valid route secret, but the stale credential can continue to authorize webhook actions after rotation.