Executive brief
OpenClaw is an open-source platform for managing device connections. A security flaw allows a previously authorized device to regain access to the network even after its access token has been revoked by an administrator. This means a decommissioned or untrusted device could potentially maintain a persistent connection and continue interacting with the system without re-approval.
Technical details
An authorization bypass exists in OpenClaw where pairing-scoped device sessions can be used to re-acquire node token authority after the original token has been revoked. The root cause is improper access control (CWE-284) and incorrect authorization (CWE-863) during the session validation flow. An attacker with an existing, legitimate pairing foothold can exploit this to maintain WebSocket authority without undergoing the normal pairing approval process. This vulnerability affects deployments where a device maintains an active session with pairing-related scope during the revocation event. The issue is addressed in version 2026.5.26; users on older versions should restart the gateway and re-pair devices to clear stale sessions.
Affected products
- OpenClaw openclaw < 2026.5.26
Timeline
- 2026-05-28: disclosed: Initial disclosure in openclaw repository
- 2026-05-28: patched: Version 2026.5.26 released
- 2026-06-18: advisory: GitHub Advisory published