# CVE-2026-44112: OpenClaw "Claw Chain": Four CVEs Enable Data Theft, Privilege Escalation, and Persistence

> CVE-2026-44112 is a high-severity privilege escalation issue in OpenClaw, an AI agent. Affected: OpenClaw < 2026.4.22.

- **Canonical URL:** https://catalog.anomity.ai/vuln/cve-2026-44112
- **Aliases:** ti-018
- **Severity:** high
- **Attack type:** Privilege escalation
- **Component:** OpenClaw (AI agent)
- **Exploited in the wild:** no known exploitation
- **Published:** 2026-05-04
- **Last verified:** 2026-11-01
- **JSON:** https://catalog.anomity.ai/api/entries/vuln/cve-2026-44112

## Summary

Four chained vulnerabilities (CVE-2026-44112, 44113, 44115, 44118) in OpenClaw allow an attacker with minimal foothold to escalate privileges, expose sensitive operator data, and plant backdoors that survive restarts, collectively dubbed Claw Chain. With OpenClaw's install base concentrated in CI/CD runners that often hold long-lived cloud credentials, a single compromised instance can pivot into production. Patched in OpenClaw 2026.4.22.

## Affected versions

| Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- |
| OpenClaw < 2026.4.22 | no fixed version listed |

## Am I affected by CVE-2026-44112?

You are affected if you run OpenClaw < 2026.4.22.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-44112?

Upgrade to OpenClaw 2026.4.22+. Audit OpenClaw runner logs for unexpected operator role changes since April. Rotate any cloud credentials accessible from OpenClaw instances. Restrict OpenClaw network egress.

## How do I find every machine running OpenClaw?

Anomity inventories the AI agents, MCP servers, IDE extensions and skills on each developer device, so you can see which machines run OpenClaw and which version, then enforce a policy on it.

## References

- article: https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/four-openclaw-flaws-enable-data-theft.html
- cve: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44112

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- [CVE-2026-46331](https://catalog.anomity.ai/vuln/cve-2026-46331) — high
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Source: Anomity Security Database (https://catalog.anomity.ai/vuln). Detect affected AI tools on developer devices: https://anomity.ai/?utm_source=catalog&utm_medium=vuln-md&utm_campaign=cve-2026-44112