# CVE-2026-29612: OpenClaw denial of service through large base64 buffer allocation

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-29612-openclaw-denial-of-service-through-large-base64-buffer-allocation  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-02-18. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-29612 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2026-02-18

OpenClaw is a gateway framework used to handle media inputs and API requests. An attacker can send oversized base64-encoded files that are decoded into memory buffers before size limits are checked, consuming excessive RAM and causing the service to become unavailable. The risk is elevated if the gateway is exposed to untrusted networks or has weak authentication controls.

Technologies: [clawdbot (npm)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/clawdbot), [Openclaw](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/openclaw). Vendors: [npm](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/npm), [Openclaw](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/openclaw).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-29612 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-29612 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-29612?** Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 18 February 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** clawdbot (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,last_affected=2026.1.24-3; Openclaw ≤ 2026.2.13.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-29612?** A patch was published on 2026-02-18: openclaw 2026.2.14 (planned patch) Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-29612 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-29612?** Check whether you run clawdbot (npm) or Openclaw at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The vulnerability is an uncontrolled resource consumption flaw (CWE-400, CWE-770) in how OpenClaw and ClawdBot handle base64-encoded media inputs. The root cause is that base64 payloads are decoded into in-memory buffers before the decoded-size budget limits are enforced. An attacker with local or authenticated access can supply maliciously large base64 payloads to trigger unbounded memory allocations, causing memory pressure and denial of service. The attack requires local access or authenticated HTTP endpoints; however, if deployments expose the gateway to untrusted networks or disable rate limiting, the severity increases to a network-reachable DoS. OpenClaw has a patched version (2026.2.14) available; ClawdBot has no patched release and users are advised to migrate to OpenClaw.

## Affected products

- OpenClaw openclaw ≤ 2026.2.13
- OpenClaw clawdbot ≤ 2026.1.24-3

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-29612
- GHSA-w2cg-vxx6-5xjg

## Timeline

- 2026-02-18: disclosed
- 2026-02-18: patched: openclaw 2026.2.14 (planned patch)
- 2026-03-05: other: CVE-2026-29612 published to NVD

## References

- [https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-w2cg-vxx6-5xjg](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-w2cg-vxx6-5xjg)

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