CVE-2026-22172 | OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.12 contain an authorizatio… | CVSS 9.9 CRITICAL

Description

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.

Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2026-22172
State: PUBLISHED
Assigner: VulnCheck
Reserved: 2026-01-06 16:47 UTC
Published: 2026-03-20 14:48 UTC
Last updated: 2026-03-20 18:06 UTC
Primary CWE: CWE-862
CWE-862 Missing Authorization
Vendor / Product: OpenClaw / OpenClaw
Sources: cve.org · NVD

Severity & Metrics

9.9 CRITICAL CVSS 3.1

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

SSVC — CISA Coordinator

Exploitation: none
Automatable: no
Tech. Impact: total

Affected products (1)

Vendor	Product	Platform	Versions
OpenClaw	OpenClaw	—	0 < 2026.3.12, 2026.3.12

Weakness (CWE)

CWE	Source	Description
CWE-862	cna	CWE-862 Missing Authorization

CVSS scores (2)

Score	Severity	Version	Source	Vector
9.9	CRITICAL	3.1	cna	CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
9.4	CRITICAL	4.0	cna	CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

References (2)

GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-rqpp-rjj8-7wv8) https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-rqpp-rjj8-7wv8
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-scope-elevation-in-websocket-shared-auth-connections