Which versions of OpenClaw are affected by CVE-2026-62189?

OpenClaw mirror sync feature (versions before 2026.6.9) contains an authorization bypass vulnerability enabling authenticated users with lower privileges to escalate access and modify protected data.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-62189?

Within 24 hours: Identify all OpenClaw installations running versions before 2026.6.9 and immediately restrict mirror sync access to only required administrative accounts. Disable symlink-based mirror targets if operationally feasible. Within 7 days: Implement compensating controls including symlink target validation logic, restrict mirror sync configuration to privileged users, and deploy monitoring/alerting on all mirror sync operations for suspicious activity. Maintain detailed audit logs of mirror sync actions. Within 30 days: Monitor OpenClaw vendor advisories for version 2026.6.9 release with authorization bypass fix, plan controlled upgrade testing and deployment.

OpenClaw CVE-2026-62189

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-62189?

CVE-2026-62189 has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 7.6 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/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: 0.3%.

HIGH

Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (CWE-59)

2026-07-13 VulnCheck

Authentication Bypass Openclaw

7.6

CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck

Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY

7.6 HIGH

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/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

7.1 HIGH

Network-reachable but requires authenticated low-privilege access (PR:L) and winning a hard-to-control symlink/policy race (AC:H); high confidentiality/integrity impact, only low availability effect, no scope change.

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

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

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

High

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Generated

Jul 13, 2026 - 22:04 vuln.today

CVE Published

Jul 13, 2026 - 21:30 cve.org

HIGH 7.6

DescriptionCVE.org

OpenClaw versions before 2026.6.9 contain a symlink following vulnerability in the mirror sync feature that allows lower-trust callers to perform actions requiring stronger authorization. Attackers can exploit remote symlink parents to bypass policy checks and authorization boundaries when the feature is enabled and reachable.

AnalysisAI

Authorization bypass via symlink following in OpenClaw's mirror sync feature (versions before 2026.6.9) lets a lower-privilege caller escalate into actions that should require stronger authorization. By planting or referencing symlink parents on a remote mirror target, an authenticated attacker can trick the sync logic into resolving links that cross policy and trust boundaries, yielding high confidentiality and integrity impact. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no CISA KEV listing; no EPSS score was supplied.

Technical ContextAI

The flaw is a classic CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access, i.e. 'symlink following'). OpenClaw's mirror sync feature synchronizes content against a remote mirror; when it resolves paths it follows symbolic links whose parent directories are attacker-influenced ('remote symlink parents'). Because the authorization/policy checks are performed against the apparent path rather than the fully canonicalized target, a symlink lets the operation escape the intended directory or trust context and act with the sync process's stronger authority. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* identifies the affected component as the OpenClaw application itself across all versions prior to the fix. The root-cause class is a TOCTOU-adjacent path-resolution weakness where policy enforcement and file access disagree on what the path actually refers to.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.6.9 or later, which is the primary and confirmed fix (see GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-m38g-vpwj-mpg9 at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-m38g-vpwj-mpg9). Where immediate upgrade is not possible, disable the mirror sync feature entirely to remove the attack surface, at the cost of losing mirror synchronization functionality. If the feature must remain enabled, restrict its reachability so only trusted callers can invoke it (network ACLs and tightened authentication) and, where supported, run sync against storage that does not follow symlinks (e.g. mount with nosymfollow or configure the sync target to reject symlinked parents) - this blocks link traversal but may break workflows that legitimately rely on links. Corroborate exact fix details against the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-symlink-following-via-mirror-sync.