Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain non-owner channel access
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DeliverySend crafted Codex install command
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ExploitBypass owner authorization check
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ExecutionInstall arbitrary plugin / spawn MCP process
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PersistExecute code as OpenClaw user
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ImpactCompromise host confidentiality, integrity, availability
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization checks on every request
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires that the attacker be a sender in an OpenClaw channel (PR:L - an authenticated but non-owner participant) and that the target instance runs a vulnerable version before 2026.7.1 with the Codex computer-use installation feature reachable. The specific trigger is the Codex computer-use install command, which fails to validate owner authorization, so a non-owner message that would normally be rejected is accepted and executes plugin installation / MCP process spawning with OpenClaw user privileges. Limiting factors: the attacker needs the ability to submit channel messages (some level of access to the OpenClaw deployment), and only versions prior to 2026.7.1 are affected; no user interaction by the owner is needed (UI:N). |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.7 (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H) reflects a genuinely dangerous authorization flaw: any low-privileged channel sender (PR:L) can remotely (AV:N), with no user interaction and low complexity, invoke the Codex computer-use install command to install arbitrary plugins and spawn MCP processes running as the OpenClaw user - full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the host. This is a missing-authorization / privilege-boundary defeat (CWE-862), not a memory-safety or config-edge-case bug, so exploitation is deterministic once a message can reach the channel. However, the exploitation-probability signals temper the raw severity: no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public proof-of-concept are present in the provided intelligence, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis. SSVC-wise, technical impact is high and the flaw is likely automatable (single crafted command), but exploitation status is 'none' pending any observed activity. Net: a legitimately high-severity, easy-to-exploit authz bug that warrants prompt patching for any exposed instance, but not (yet) evidence of widespread active exploitation - priority is driven by the low bar to exploit and total host compromise, not by exploitation telemetry. The affected product's small footprint keeps aggregate real-world risk moderate rather than critical. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who is a non-owner participant in an OpenClaw channel sends a crafted Codex computer-use installation command that the server fails to authorize against the owner. The command installs an attacker-chosen plugin and launches an MCP process running with OpenClaw user privileges, giving the attacker code execution and full read/write control over the host. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, but the flaw is low-complexity and requires only channel-sender access. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 26, 2026
Broken authorization in OpenClaw before version 2026.7.1 lets a non-owner channel sender invoke the Codex computer-use installation command to install arbitrary plugins and spawn MCP (Model Context Protocol) processes with the privileges of the OpenClaw service user. The assessed vector (CVSS 4.0 base 8.7; CVSS 3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) requires only that the attacker be able to send messages into an OpenClaw channel, with no user interaction from the legitimate owner, yielding full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the host. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis and the issue is not listed as confirmed actively exploited (CISA KEV); the risk is nonetheless high because the missing check converts ordinary channel participation into remote code execution in the OpenClaw user's context.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: upgrade OpenClaw to 2026.7.1 or later, which is the first release stated to contain the owner-authorization enforcement for the Codex computer-use installation command; the vendor advisory is at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-pjjr-5qhr-5w6r and the coordinating advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-before-2026.7.1-authorization-bypass-via-codex-install. Where an immediate upgrade is not possible, apply targeted compensating controls with their trade-offs in mind: disable or block the Codex computer-use installation path and any code that spawns MCP processes from channel-originated messages, accepting that this removes legitimate plugin-installation functionality for owners as well; restrict channel membership and inbound message sources so that only trusted, owner-controlled participants can post to channels that can reach install commands, which reduces exposure but does not eliminate the flaw if any non-owner sender retains access; and run the OpenClaw service under a dedicated low-privilege account with filesystem and process-spawn restrictions (containerization, seccomp/AppArmor profiles, or equivalent) so that a successful plugin install or MCP process cannot reach sensitive host resources, at the cost of additional operational complexity and possible breakage of legitimate plugin workflows. Monitor channel logs for Codex install commands or MCP process spawns originating from non-owner senders, as these are the direct indicators of exploitation attempt.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The root cause is CWE-862 (Missing Authorization): the Codex computer-use installation command in OpenClaw lacks an owner-authorization check, so a request originating from a non-owner channel sender is processed as though it came from an authorized operator. OpenClaw's channel model distinguishes between the deployment owner and other participants who can post messages; the install command is intended to be owner-only because it triggers plugin installation and the spawning of MCP (Model Context Protocol) server processes. MCP processes execute locally on the host as the OpenClaw service account and broker access to tools, files, and other resources, which is why an authorization failure here escalates directly to host-level code execution rather than a mere configuration change. The supplied CPE string cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* confirms the affected vendor/product but does not pin a version range, so the authoritative boundary is the vendor advisory: all releases prior to 2026.7.1 are affected. The vulnerability is network-reachable (AV:N) and requires low privileges on the OpenClaw deployment (PR:L), with no user interaction (UI:N) and low attack complexity (AC:L) per both the vendor-supplied CVSS 4.0 vector and our independent CVSS 3.1 assessment.
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Severity by source
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
Remote channel sender with low privilege (PR:L) triggers a missing-authorization command with no user interaction; arbitrary plugin/MCP execution as the OpenClaw user yields full C/I/A within that scope (S:U).
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
OpenClaw versions before 2026.7.1 fail to properly validate owner authorization in the Codex computer-use installation command. Non-owner channel senders can install arbitrary plugins and execute MCP processes with OpenClaw user privileges, affecting host confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Technical POC Analysis
Evidence base: GHSA-pjjr-5qhr-5w6r only.
Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.
Executive ViewAI
OpenClaw environments that allow non-owner channel messaging face a high-severity authorization flaw that can lead to compromise of the OpenClaw service account and any systems or data it can access. Because no vendor patch is currently available and no public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, leadership should prioritize restricting channel access and monitoring until a fix can be deployed; affected teams include IT operations, security, and any business unit relying on OpenClaw for workflow automation or integrations.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: restrict channel participation to trusted users; disable or allowlist Codex computer-use plugin installation and MCP process spawning; run the OpenClaw service under a least-privilege account; network-segment the OpenClaw host; monitor for unexpected plugin installs and MCP child processes.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
Auth bypass in OpenClaw voice-call extension before 2026.2.1. EPSS 0.68%. PoC and patch available.
Privilege escalation in OpenClaw (pre-2026.3.28) allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain administrative access b
OpenClaw versions 2026.2.22 through 2026.2.24 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows authenticated att
An authorization mismatch vulnerability in OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 allows authenticated users with operator.
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.1.29 automatically establish WebSocket connections to attacker-controlled gateway URLs e
Path traversal in OpenClaw through version 2026.3.23 enables unauthenticated remote attackers to read arbitrary files in
Directory-context bypass in OpenClaw before 2026.8.1 allows authenticated attackers with user interaction to reuse an 'a
Unauthenticated access to the noVNC observer interface in OpenClaw's Docker sandbox browser allows anyone who can reach
OpenClaw versions before 2026.2.26 allow authenticated attackers to write arbitrary files outside the workspace director
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain a shell environment variable injection vulnerability in the system.run func
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain a resource exhaustion vulnerability where the application fails to consiste
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 contain a sandbox escape vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers with low
EUVD-2026-87464
GHSA-w2h4-w48g-f6hp
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB