OpenClaw: Mutating internal /allowlist chat commands missed operator.admin scope enforcement

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

6.5 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

EPSS

No dated EPSS signal available.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Fixed in OpenClaw 2026.3.24, the current shipping release. Title Mutating internal /allowlist chat commands missed operator.admin scope enforcement CWE CWE-862 Missing Authorization CVSS v3.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N Base score: 6.5 (Medium) Severity Assessment Medium. This is a real authorization flaw in OpenClaw’s internal control plane. The issue does not require host access, trusted local state tampering, or multi-tenant assumptions, but exploitation does require an already authenticated internal Gateway caller with operator.write. Impact An authenticated internal Gateway caller limited to operator.write can perform state-changing /allowlist actions without operator.admin, even though comparable mutating internal chat commands already require operator.admin. The reachable effects are persistent changes to config-backed allowFrom entries and pairing-store-backed allowlist entries. This is not a semantic-modeling complaint and not a generic “trusted operator can…

Published by the source

30 Mar 2026, 18:59 UTC

Last modified by the source

8 Jul 2026, 07:27 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:47 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-vqvg-86cc-cg83

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-vqvg-86cc-cg83

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# Patch Next advisory brief: GHSA-vqvg-86cc-cg83

Advisory: OpenClaw: Mutating internal `/allowlist` chat commands missed `operator.admin` scope enforcement
IDs: GHSA-vqvg-86cc-cg83
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/ghsa-vqvg-86cc-cg83 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:47 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.5)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: openclaw 2026.3.24. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm openclaw: affected < 2026.3.24; fixed in 2026.3.24

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls openclaw --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on openclaw.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-vqvg-86cc-cg83 (OSV record GHSA-vqvg-86cc-cg83 lists affected ranges: npm openclaw >=0 <2026.3.24 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-vqvg-86cc-cg83 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-vqvg-86cc-cg83 lists affected ranges: npm openclaw >=0 <2026.3.24)

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