Junglewise Threat Intelligence

OpenClaw authorization bypass in owner-enforced commands

Severity: medium · CVSS 4.2 · Published 2026-05-11

Technologies: Openclaw. Vendors: Openclaw.

Executive brief

OpenClaw, a tool for managing automated commands and replies, contains a security flaw where unauthorized users can execute restricted administrative commands. If a channel is configured to accept messages from anyone but also has 'owner-only' command restrictions, the system may fail to distinguish between the true owner and a regular user. This allows an attacker to potentially change configurations, send unauthorized messages, or access debugging information that should be private.

Technical details

An authorization bypass vulnerability exists in OpenClaw's `command-auth.ts` component. The flaw occurs when a channel plugin has `enforceOwnerForCommands` enabled and uses a wildcard `allowFrom: ["*"]` setting without a specific `commands.ownerAllowFrom` configuration. In this scenario, the system incorrectly treats the wildcard sender policy as a valid authorization for owner-only commands. A remote attacker with basic access to the channel can execute sensitive slash commands such as `/send`, `/config`, or `/debug`. The issue was resolved in version 2026.4.21 by requiring a concrete owner identity or internal admin scope for owner-enforced commands.

Affected products

  • OpenClaw openclaw < 2026.4.21

Timeline

  • 2026-04-22: advisory: Original GHSA-c28g-vh7m-fm7v published
  • 2026-05-11: disclosed: CVE-2026-44991 published
  • 2026-05-18: other: Duplicate advisory GHSA-p3pv-c954-9m6f withdrawn

References

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