Auth bypass in Openclaw
CVE-2026-32042
OpenClaw versions 2026.2.22 prior to 2026.2.25 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing unpaired device identities to bypass operator pairing requirements and self-assign elevated operator scopes including operator.admin. Attackers with valid shared gateway authentication can present a self-signed unpaired device identity to request and obtain higher operator scopes before pairing approval is granted.
Vulnerability class: Broken Access Control
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 8.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.006 (49.0th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 49th percentile — 49.0% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.006 · change: +0.002
Affected products
- Openclaw — versions 2026.2.22, 2026.2.25
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-553v-f69r-656j (vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory, third-party-advisory)
- github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/8d1481cb4a9d31bd617e52dc8c392c35689d9dea (Patch, patch)
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-unpaired-device-… (Third Party Advisory, third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-32042?
- CVE-2026-32042 is a high-severity vulnerability in Openclaw, classified under Incorrect Authorization. CVSS score: 8.8/10. Published 2026-03-21.
- How severe is CVE-2026-32042?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.8 out of 10.