Which versions of Openclaw are affected by CVE-2026-35663?

OpenClaw versions before 2026.3.25 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows authenticated operators with low-level access to bypass security controls and grant themselves…. A patch is available.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-35663?

Within 24 hours: Identify all OpenClaw instances and document current versions in use. Within 7 days: Apply vendor patch to upgrade all OpenClaw deployments to version 2026.3.25 or later; verify patch installation on all systems. Within 30 days: Audit access logs for unauthorized scope escalation attempts; review and enforce principle of least privilege for operator accounts; consider implementing additional authentication controls for administrative scope requests.

Openclaw CVE-2026-35663

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-35663?

CVE-2026-35663 has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.7 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

EUVD-2026-21472 HIGH

Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs (CWE-648)

2026-04-10 VulnCheck

GHSA-9hjh-fr4f-gxc4

Privilege Escalation Openclaw

8.7

CVSS 4.0 · NVD

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY

8.7 HIGH

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Lifecycle Timeline

EUVD ID Assigned

Apr 10, 2026 - 16:30 euvd

EUVD-2026-21472

Analysis Generated

Apr 10, 2026 - 16:30 vuln.today

Patch released

Apr 10, 2026 - 16:30 nvd

Patch available

CVE Published

Apr 10, 2026 - 16:03 nvd

HIGH 8.7

Blast Radius

ecosystem impact

† from your stack dependencies † transitive graph · vuln.today resolves 4-path depth

3 npm packages depend on openclaw (3 direct, 0 indirect)

Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 2026.3.24.

DescriptionCVE.org

OpenClaw before 2026.3.25 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing non-admin operators to self-request broader scopes during backend reconnect. Attackers can bypass pairing requirements to reconnect as operator.admin, gaining unauthorized administrative privileges.

AnalysisAI

Privilege escalation in OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.25 allows authenticated low-privilege operators to bypass pairing requirements during backend reconnection, self-requesting elevated scopes to gain operator.admin privileges. Attackers with existing operator credentials exploit improper scope validation (CWE-648) to escalate from limited operator access to full administrative control over the OpenClaw system. Exploitation requires network access and low-privilege authentication (CVSS:3.1 PR:L), enabling high-impact compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No public exploit identified at time of analysis.

Technical ContextAI

Root cause stems from insufficient verification of scope claims during backend reconnect operations (CWE-648 Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs). The reconnection handler fails to validate whether requesting operators hold legitimate entitlements for administrator-level scopes, permitting self-escalation from operator to operator.admin without pairing enforcement. Vendor-released patch d3d8e316bd819d3c7e34253aeb7eccb2510f5f48 addresses scope validation logic.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.3.25 or later, which implements strict scope validation during backend reconnection. Apply commit d3d8e316bd819d3c7e34253aeb7eccb2510f5f48 from the upstream repository if building from source. Organizations unable to immediately upgrade should restrict operator account provisioning to trusted personnel only, monitor backend reconnection logs for anomalous scope elevation attempts, and enforce network segmentation to limit operator access surfaces. Disable backend reconnect functionality if operationally feasible until patching completes. Review existing operator accounts for unauthorized privilege escalation and revoke compromised credentials. Consult vendor advisory at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-9hjh-fr4f-gxc4 and detailed analysis at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-backend-reconnect-scope-self-claim for implementation guidance.