Auth bypass in Openclaw
CVE-2026-33579
OpenClaw before 2026.3.28 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the /pair approve command path that fails to forward caller scopes into the core approval check. A caller with pairing privileges but without admin privileges can approve pending device requests asking for broader scopes including admin access by exploiting the missing scope validation in extensions/device-pair/index.ts and src/infra/device-pairing.ts.
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: 0.005 (41.3th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 41st percentile — 41.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.008 · newest: 0.005 · change: -0.003
Affected products
- Openclaw — versions 0, 2026.3.28
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-hc5h-pmr3-3497) (vendor-advisory, third-party-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
- Patch Commit (Patch, patch)
- VulnCheck Advisory: OpenClaw < 2026.3.28 - Privilege Escalation via Missing Caller Scope Validation in Device Pair Approval (Third Party Advisory, third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-33579?
- CVE-2026-33579 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Openclaw, classified under Incorrect Authorization. CVSS score: 9.9/10. Published 2026-03-31.
- How severe is CVE-2026-33579?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.9 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2026-33579 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.