CVE-2026-35669: OpenClaw < 2026.3.25 - Privilege Escalation via Gateway Plugin HTTP Authentication Scope

Severity: high (CVSS 8.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-04-10 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-648

Description

OpenClaw before 2026.3.25 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in gateway-authenticated plugin HTTP routes that incorrectly mint operator.admin runtime scope regardless of caller-granted scopes. Attackers can exploit this scope boundary bypass to gain elevated privileges and perform unauthorized administrative actions.

Affected products

OpenClaw: before 2026.3.25 — fixed in 2026.3.25

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: OpenClaw 2026.3.25. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/ec2dbcff9afd8a52e00de054b506c91726d9fbbe
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-qm2m-28pf-hgjw
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-gateway-plugin-http-authentication-scope

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