Executive brief
OpenClaw is a networking and access control gateway that manages authentication for HTTP routes and websocket connections. When tokenless Tailscale authentication is enabled, it incorrectly allows unauthenticated access to HTTP routes that should require token or password protection, weakening security boundaries even in trusted network deployments. Organizations relying on token-based HTTP authentication could find their access controls inadvertently downgraded when Tailscale header authentication is configured.
Technical details
The vulnerability is an authentication bypass (CWE-290) in OpenClaw's gateway where tokenless Tailscale forwarded-header authentication, intended only for Control UI websocket login, is incorrectly applied to HTTP gateway auth call sites. This allows HTTP routes configured with token/password requirements to accept unauthenticated requests when Tailscale header auth is enabled. The attack requires network access to the gateway and no user interaction. The fix adds an explicit authorization gate (allowTailscaleHeaderAuth flag, default false) that restricts tokenless Tailscale header auth strictly to Control UI websocket authentication, while keeping HTTP gateway routes on token/password auth paths. A patch is planned for version 2026.2.21.
Affected products
- OpenClaw openclaw <=2026.2.19-2
Timeline
- 2026-03-03: disclosed
- 2026-02-21: patched: Patch planned for version 2026.2.21