EUVD-2026-36317
GHSA-7hxm-f538-3xp6
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-priv Matrix account
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DeliveryIdentify allowFrom display-name target
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ExploitChange display name to victim string
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ExecutionAuthenticate to OpenClaw via Matrix
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PersistPolicy resolver grants spoofed agent access
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ImpactAct with victim's permissions
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Anti-spoofing controls
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Defense Evasion The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires (1) an authenticated Matrix account on a homeserver federated with or reachable by the OpenClaw deployment (PR:L), (2) the OpenClaw operator must have configured the Matrix allowFrom feature with at least one policy entry that matches on display name rather than MXID (this is the AT:P attack requirement, making the issue deployment-specific), and (3) the attacker must know or guess a display name string used in an allowFrom entry. Limiting factors: deployments that use allowFrom only with MXIDs are not exploitable, no user interaction is required from the victim (UI:N), and the resulting privileges are bounded by whatever the spoofed identity was granted by the operator's configuration. |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N) indicates network-reachable, low-complexity exploitation requiring an authenticated low-privilege Matrix account and a present attack requirement (AT:P) - meaning the target operator must have configured allowFrom with display-name-matching entries, which limits exploitability to specific deployments. Vulnerable-system C/I/A are all High because successful spoofing yields the targeted identity's agent permissions. The flaw is confirmed-patched and reported by VulnCheck, but no KEV listing and no public POC are present, so this is currently a theoretical-but-credible privilege escalation rather than mass-exploited; EPSS data was not provided. Real-world risk is highest for operators who exposed agent access via allowFrom to specific Matrix display names - those deployments should treat this as urgent. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker registers or uses any low-privileged Matrix account on a homeserver reachable by the target OpenClaw instance, then changes their display name to match a string an operator has placed in an allowFrom policy entry (for example, an admin's display name). When the attacker subsequently interacts with OpenClaw, the policy resolver matches the spoofed display name and grants agent-level access intended for the legitimate identity, enabling actions under the victim's permissions. No public POC is identified at time of analysis, but the manipulation is trivial since display names are user-mutable by design in Matrix. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jun 11, 2026
Privilege escalation in OpenClaw before 2026.5.7 allows authenticated Matrix users to impersonate other identities by manipulating their mutable display name to match policy entries in the allowFrom feature. The flaw stems from authentication relying on a user-controlled attribute (CWE-290), letting attackers receive agent access intended for another Matrix identity. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but a vendor patch and VulnCheck advisory are available.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: upgrade to OpenClaw 2026.5.7 or later as described in GHSA-7hxm-f538-3xp6 (https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-7hxm-f538-3xp6). If immediate upgrade is not possible, operators should audit their allowFrom configuration and replace any entries that match on Matrix display names with entries keyed on the immutable Matrix ID (MXID), accepting that this requires reissuing policy on a per-user basis; alternatively, temporarily remove allowFrom-based agent grants and require an alternative authentication path until the patch is applied, with the trade-off of lost automation for legitimate Matrix integrations. Cross-reference the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-mutable-display-names-in-matrix-allowfrom for any additional mitigation guidance.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in npm
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
OpenClaw integrates with the Matrix communication protocol and uses an allowFrom policy mechanism to grant agent-level access to specific Matrix identities. The vulnerability is rooted in CWE-290 (Authentication Bypass by Spoofing): the allowFrom matcher evaluates the display name field of a Matrix account, which is metadata that any account holder can freely change at will, rather than the immutable Matrix ID (MXID). The affected component is the Matrix policy resolver in OpenClaw (cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw), where trust is misplaced on a mutable identity attribute instead of cryptographically bound identifiers.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Network-reachable Matrix account suffices (AV:N, PR:L); AC:H reflects the operator-side allowFrom display-name configuration prerequisite; full C/I/A impact since attacker assumes a targeted identity's agent permissions.
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
DescriptionCVE.org
OpenClaw before 2026.5.7 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Matrix allowFrom feature that allows authenticated accounts to match policy entries through mutable display name metadata. Attackers with the ability to change display names can receive agent access intended for another Matrix identity, potentially gaining unauthorized permissions depending on operator configuration.
Blast Radius
ecosystem impact- 4 npm packages depend on openclaw (4 direct, 0 indirect)
Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 2026.5.7.
Executive ViewAI
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.5.7 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability enabling authenticated users to impersonate other identities by manipulating display names, potentially gaining unauthorized access to agent capabilities and sensitive resources. Organizations relying on OpenClaw for Matrix authentication face immediate risk of unauthorized privilege escalation and lateral movement by internal users. Patching is critical to restore authentication integrity and prevent credential-based attacks.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
Auth bypass in OpenClaw voice-call extension before 2026.2.1. EPSS 0.68%. PoC and patch available.
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