Which versions of OpenClaw are affected by CVE-2026-42426?

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.4.8 contain an authorization bypass enabling authenticated users with broad operator.write permissions to approve node pairing without requiring the restrictive…. A patch is available.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-42426?

Within 24 hours, identify all OpenClaw deployments running versions before 2026.4.8 and audit users holding operator.write scope to flag those without legitimate pairing approval authority. Within 7 days, apply vendor patch npm 2026.4.8 to all instances after validation in staging, ensuring no service disruption. Within 30 days, audit all node pairings approved prior to patching to identify unauthorized changes, implement scope governance controls to prevent operator.write scope from being assigned without corresponding pairing admin delegation, and document findings for compliance records.

OpenClaw CVE-2026-42426

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-42426?

CVE-2026-42426 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-2026-26128 HIGH

Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863)

2026-04-28 VulnCheck

Authentication Bypass 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

vuln.today AI

8.8 HIGH

Network-invokable RPC with low complexity by an already-authenticated low-privilege operator.write holder (PR:L), yielding total impact on the vulnerable node; scope unchanged per advisory's single-system trust model.

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

4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from NVD.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Lifecycle Timeline

Source Code Evidence Fetched

Jul 24, 2026 - 04:14 vuln.today

Analysis Generated

Jul 24, 2026 - 04:14 vuln.today

CVSS changed

Apr 28, 2026 - 19:52 NVD

8.8 (HIGH) 8.7 (HIGH)

EUVD ID Assigned

Apr 28, 2026 - 19:30 euvd

EUVD-2026-26128

Patch released

Apr 28, 2026 - 19:30 nvd

Patch available

CVE Published

Apr 28, 2026 - 18:10 nvd

HIGH 8.7

DescriptionCVE.org

OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 contains an improper authorization vulnerability where the node.pair.approve method accepts operator.write scope instead of the narrower operator.pairing scope, allowing unprivileged users to approve node pairing. Attackers with operator.write permissions can bypass pairing approval restrictions to gain unauthorized access to exec-capable nodes.

AnalysisAI

Improper authorization in OpenClaw before 2026.4.8 lets users holding the broad operator.write scope approve node pairing that should require the narrower operator.pairing scope plus admin, granting them unauthorized control of exec-capable nodes. Reported by VulnCheck and credited to Tencent Zhuque Lab, it carries a CVSS 4.0 score of 8.7 with total technical impact, though there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and EPSS exploitation probability is very low (0.03%). A vendor patch (npm 2026.4.8) is available.

Technical ContextAI

OpenClaw is a user-controlled local AI assistant distributed via npm (package 'openclaw', CPE cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw). The flaw is a CWE-863 Incorrect Authorization: the node.pair.approve RPC method was registered under the coarse operator.write scope rather than the intended operator.pairing scope, which was also meant to enforce an admin requirement for exec-capable nodes. Node pairing is the trust-establishment step by which a node is admitted to the assistant and, for exec-capable nodes, permitted to run commands. Because scope checks are the enforcement boundary here, mis-mapping a sensitive method to a broader scope effectively removes the intended least-privilege restriction, letting any operator.write holder authorize new exec-capable nodes.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade the openclaw npm package to 2026.4.8, which moves node.pair.approve to the narrower operator.pairing scope and restores the admin requirement for exec-capable nodes (verified fixed tree commit d7c3210cd6f5fdfdc1beff4c9541673e814354d5). If immediate upgrade is not possible, apply compensating controls by tightly restricting who is granted the operator.write scope and treating it as admin-equivalent until patched, and by monitoring/auditing node pairing approvals and the registration of exec-capable nodes for unexpected activity; the trade-off is reduced operational flexibility for legitimate operator.write users and added review overhead. See the GHSA advisory (https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-67mf-f936-ppxf) and patch commit (https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/d7c3210cd6f5fdfdc1beff4c9541673e814354d5) for details.