Which versions of OpenClaw are affected by CVE-2026-62196?

OpenClaw (versions 2026.3.22-2026.6.5) contains an authorization bypass vulnerability in its WhatsApp integration that allows low-privilege attackers to escalate privileges and invoke high-privilege…

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-62196?

Within 24 hours, identify all deployments running OpenClaw versions 2026.3.22 through 2026.6.5, disable WhatsApp group message processing if not business-critical, and enable enhanced logging for all sender validation events. Within 7 days, implement compensating controls including mandatory sender identity verification that rejects group IDs in individual sender allowlists, restrict integration service account permissions to minimum scope, and review the past 30 days of message logs for suspicious privilege escalations. Within 30 days, prepare and deploy OpenClaw version 2026.6.6 or later in a staging environment, validate the patch eliminates the authorization bypass, and execute production deployment followed by comprehensive access control verification.

OpenClaw CVE-2026-62196

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-62196?

CVE-2026-62196 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: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: 0.2%.

HIGH

Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863)

2026-07-13 VulnCheck

Authentication Bypass Openclaw

8.7

CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck

Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY

8.7 HIGH

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/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

8.3 HIGH

Network-reachable, low-complexity authorization bypass needing existing lower-trust access (PR:L) and no user interaction, giving high confidentiality/integrity and low availability impact with no scope change.

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

4.0 AV:N/AC:L/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

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Generated

Jul 13, 2026 - 22:07 vuln.today

CVE Published

Jul 13, 2026 - 21:30 cve.org

HIGH 8.7

DescriptionCVE.org

OpenClaw versions 2026.3.22 before 2026.6.6 contain an authorization bypass vulnerability where WhatsApp group IDs can satisfy elevated sender allowlists. Attackers with lower-trust access can perform actions requiring stronger authorization by leveraging group ID validation in the affected feature.

AnalysisAI

Authorization bypass in OpenClaw (versions 2026.3.22 up to but not including 2026.6.6) lets a lower-trust WhatsApp sender satisfy elevated sender allowlists because WhatsApp group IDs are accepted as if they were privileged individual sender identities. An authenticated but low-privilege attacker can therefore invoke actions gated behind stronger authorization, effectively escalating privilege within the messaging integration. Reported by VulnCheck with a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.7 (high); no public exploit identified at time of analysis and it is not listed in CISA KEV.

Technical ContextAI

OpenClaw is a WhatsApp automation/bot platform that gates sensitive commands behind sender allowlists - lists of authorized identities permitted to trigger elevated actions. The flaw is a classic CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization): the allowlist comparison does not distinguish between an individual user's WhatsApp JID and a WhatsApp group ID, so a group identifier can match or be coerced to satisfy an entry intended to authorize only a specific high-trust sender. Because WhatsApp group membership is far easier to obtain or influence than possession of a specific privileged account, the equivalence between a group ID and an elevated sender identity collapses the intended authorization boundary. The single CPE (cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw) confirms the affected component is the OpenClaw application itself rather than an underlying library or the WhatsApp protocol.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: 2026.6.6 - upgrade OpenClaw to 2026.6.6 or later, which is the primary and authoritative fix per GitHub advisory GHSA-fh38-965w-f6c3 (https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-fh38-965w-f6c3). Until you can upgrade, tighten sender allowlists so they contain only individual WhatsApp user JIDs and remove or audit any entry that a group ID could match, and where possible restrict which groups the bot participates in or disable elevated commands issued from group contexts (trade-off: this may break legitimate group-driven automation). Additionally, monitor OpenClaw command logs for privileged actions originating from group IDs rather than expected individual senders. Cross-reference the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-authorization-bypass-via-whatsapp-group-ids for further context.