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OpenClaw EUVDEUVD-2026-87498

| CVE-2026-100552 HIGH
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863)
2026-09-26 VulnCheck GHSA-cwwp-j7pm-h7wg
8.7
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain low-trust access to Codex-backed chat
  2. Delivery
    Trigger agent to invoke native runtime tool
  3. Exploit
    Allowlist fails to filter Codex tools
  4. Execution
    Reach shell/file/patch commands
  5. Impact
    Read or modify host resources

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization logic validation
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

Requires a specific deployment: a lower-trust conversation assigned to a Codex app-server runtime AND restricted with a per-chat tools.allow allowlist (the operator relies on this allowlist as the trust boundary). The attacker must be a participant able to trigger that agent (PR:L, authenticated/low-trust access per the CVSS vector), so it is not remote-unauthenticated. The bypass only reaches native shell/process/file/patch tools owned by the Codex runtime - OpenClaw's own tools are correctly filtered. The severity of the outcome is further limited by the Codex runtime's host permissions and sandbox configuration: a tightly sandboxed, low-privilege runtime sharply reduces impact, while an unsandboxed host-privileged runtime enables full command and file access. Fixed in OpenClaw 2026.8.1.

Impact

The vendor (VulnCheck) CVSS 4.0 vector CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H (8.7) rates this High, and the mechanism supports a serious rating: a per-chat tools.allow allowlist that operators rely on to sandbox a low-trust conversation is silently ineffective against the Codex runtime's native shell/process/file/patch tools, so the security control fails open. The realistic impact, however, is explicitly conditional - the description states practical impact 'depends on the runtime's host permissions and sandbox configuration,' so VC/VI/VA:H represents the worst case (an unsandboxed, host-privileged Codex runtime) rather than a guaranteed outcome. There is no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code identified at time of analysis, so all exploitation signals are absent; risk is driven by severity-of-outcome, not by observed exploitation. This is a real priority for anyone actually running Codex runtimes with per-chat allowlists as a trust boundary (the control they depend on does not work), but it is a niche open-source AI-agent framework with a small deployment footprint, and exploitation still requires a pre-existing multi-participant/low-trust configuration plus a permissive host sandbox. Note the CWE (CWE-863 improper authorization) conflicts with the input 'Authentication Bypass' tag - this is an authorization/policy-enforcement gap, not authentication bypass; verify labeling.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An operator assigns a lower-trust chat to a Codex app-server runtime and restricts it with a per-chat tools.allow allowlist, believing native shell and file access is blocked. A participant able to trigger that agent instructs it to use the Codex runtime's shell/process/file/patch tools, which the allowlist never filtered, and reads or modifies host files or runs commands to the extent the runtime's sandbox and host permissions allow. No public proof-of-concept is known at time of analysis.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 26, 2026

OpenClaw before 2026.8.1 fails to enforce per-chat tool policies for Codex app-server runtime tools, allowing an authenticated participant (PR:L) in a lower-trust conversation to bypass a tools.allow allowlist and reach native shell, process, file, and patch tools. The vendor-assigned CVSS 4.0 score is 8.7, and the practical impact depends on the Codex runtime's host permissions and sandbox configuration; the issue is fixed in 2026.8.1. No public exploit identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Upgrade OpenClaw to 2026.8.1 or later; this is the vendor-released patch that fixes the per-chat tool-policy enforcement for Codex app-server runtime tools. See the GitHub advisory GHSA-wwcw-jfpp-gpxw and VulnCheck advisory for patch details. If upgrade cannot be applied immediately, avoid assigning lower-trust conversations to Codex app-server runtimes, since the bypass only reaches Codex-owned native tools; also run the Codex runtime with least-privilege host permissions and a restrictive sandbox so shell, process, file, and patch tools cannot access sensitive resources, recognizing that sandboxing reduces impact but does not correct the authorization bypass. Restrict which participants can trigger agents in restricted conversations, and audit Codex runtime tool invocations for unexpected shell, process, file, or patch use; these controls trade off functionality, availability, and operator convenience.

Affected VersionsENISA

OpenClaw 0 <2026.8.1

Affected Packages

euvd openclaw fix: 2026.8.1

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

OpenClaw is an npm package used for agent orchestration, and this issue involves its Codex app-server runtime integration. The per-chat tools.allow rule filtered OpenClaw-owned tools but did not apply to Codex runtime-owned native tools such as shell, process, file, and patch, so a lower-trust conversation assigned to that runtime could retain command and file access despite the allowlist. The root cause is CWE-863 Incorrect Authorization: the policy enforcement point covered one tool namespace but not the runtime's native tool set. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers the OpenClaw npm package, with affected versions before 2026.8.1; tags include Authentication Bypass, Node.js, and Openclaw. The vendor CVSS 4.0 vector is CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H (8.7), and the independent assessment uses CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, both reflecting authenticated low-privilege access with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

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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:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 8.8 HIGH

Network-triggerable by a low-trust participant (PR:L, no UI); allowlist bypass is trivial once the Codex/per-chat config exists (AC:L); worst-case host command/file access gives C/I/A:H.

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 Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Sep 26, 2026 - 03:01 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 26, 2026 - 02:18 cve.org
HIGH 8.7

DescriptionCVE.org

OpenClaw (npm package 'openclaw') before 2026.8.1 does not correctly enforce per-chat tool policies for Codex app-server runtime tools. A conversation-level tools.allow rule filtered OpenClaw tools but did not restrict the shell, process, file, and patch tools owned by the Codex runtime. When a lower-trust conversation was assigned to a Codex runtime and restricted with a per-chat tool allowlist, a participant able to trigger that agent could still reach native command and file tools, bypassing the configured allowlist. The practical impact depends on the runtime's host permissions and sandbox configuration. The issue is fixed in 2026.8.1.

Technical POC Analysis

CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) - specifically an authorization check that is applied to the wrong tool set.

Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

OpenClaw deployments that run Codex app-server runtime tools on versions prior to 2026.8.1 allow an authenticated participant in a lower-trust conversation to bypass configured tool allowlists and reach native shell, process, file, and patch capabilities. Because those tools inherit the Codex runtime's host permissions, a single low-privilege account can reach host-level actions, creating exposure for data confidentiality, integrity, and service availability wherever that runtime is shared. Leadership should treat this as a high-priority containment issue for any AI-agent or developer platform built on OpenClaw, especially where sandboxing is permissive.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch (OpenClaw 2026.8.1); until that upgrade is verified in your environment, restrict Codex app-server runtime tools to trusted conversations, enforce least-privilege host and sandbox permissions, and monitor native shell, process, file, and patch tool invocations.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 84% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche open-source Node.js AI-agent framework, limited production footprint
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

CVE-2026-28446 CRITICAL POC
9.4 Mar 05

Auth bypass in OpenClaw voice-call extension before 2026.2.1. EPSS 0.68%. PoC and patch available.

CVE-2026-33579 CRITICAL POC
9.4 Mar 31

Privilege escalation in OpenClaw (pre-2026.3.28) allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain administrative access b

CVE-2026-32042 HIGH POC
8.8 Mar 21

OpenClaw versions 2026.2.22 through 2026.2.24 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows authenticated att

CVE-2026-32051 HIGH POC
8.8 Mar 21

An authorization mismatch vulnerability in OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 allows authenticated users with operator.

CVE-2026-25253 HIGH POC
8.8 Feb 01

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.1.29 automatically establish WebSocket connections to attacker-controlled gateway URLs e

CVE-2026-32846 HIGH POC
8.7 Mar 26

Path traversal in OpenClaw through version 2026.3.23 enables unauthenticated remote attackers to read arbitrary files in

CVE-2026-100530 HIGH POC
8.5 Sep 26

Directory-context bypass in OpenClaw before 2026.8.1 allows authenticated attackers with user interaction to reuse an 'a

CVE-2026-32064 HIGH POC
8.5 Mar 21

Unauthenticated access to the noVNC observer interface in OpenClaw's Docker sandbox browser allows anyone who can reach

CVE-2026-32055 HIGH POC
7.6 Mar 21

OpenClaw versions before 2026.2.26 allow authenticated attackers to write arbitrary files outside the workspace director

CVE-2026-32056 HIGH POC
7.5 Mar 21

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain a shell environment variable injection vulnerability in the system.run func

CVE-2026-32049 HIGH POC
7.5 Mar 21

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain a resource exhaustion vulnerability where the application fails to consiste

CVE-2026-32048 HIGH POC
7.5 Mar 21

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 contain a sandbox escape vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers with low

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