Executive brief
OpenClaw is a device pairing and trust management platform that uses bootstrap setup codes as an authentication primitive for onboarding new devices. A flaw allowed these codes to be replayed multiple times before pairing approval, permitting an attacker to escalate pending device permissions from basic operator access to admin-level access without the approver's knowledge.
Technical details
The vulnerability is an improper privilege management flaw (CWE-269) in the bootstrap token verification logic located in src/infra/device-bootstrap.ts. In affected versions (≤2026.3.12), bootstrap setup codes could be verified and used multiple times before a device pairing request was finalized. An attacker with access to a valid bootstrap code could submit a first verification, then submit a second verification attempt to mutate the pending device pairing and request broader scopes—escalating from basic operator scope to operator.admin—before an approver authorized the pairing. The fix in version 2026.3.13 makes bootstrap tokens single-use by consuming the token record on first successful verification, causing replay attempts to fail. The attack requires network access and a valid bootstrap code but no prior authentication or user interaction beyond submitting the replay request.
Affected products
- OpenClaw openclaw <=2026.3.12
Timeline
- 2026-03-16: disclosed: Advisory published on GitHub Security Advisory
- 2026-03-13: patched: Fix version 2026.3.13 released