Auth bypass in Openclaw
CVE-2026-22172
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.12 contain an authorization bypass vulnerability in the WebSocket connect path that allows shared-token or password-authenticated connections to self-declare elevated scopes without server-side binding. Attackers can exploit this logic flaw to present unauthorized scopes such as operator.admin and perform admin-only gateway operations.
Vulnerability class: Broken Access Control
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 9.9 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.006 (44.5th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 45th percentile — 44.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.006 · newest: 0.006 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Openclaw — versions 0, 2026.3.12
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-rqpp-rjj8-7wv8) (vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-scope-elevation-in-websocket-shared-auth-… (Third Party Advisory, third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-22172?
- CVE-2026-22172 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Openclaw, classified under Missing Authorization. CVSS score: 9.9/10. Published 2026-03-20.
- How severe is CVE-2026-22172?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.9 out of 10.