Executive brief
OpenClaw, a tool for managing gateway operations and tool invocations, contains a security flaw in how it handles group permissions. An attacker with basic user access can provide a fake or unvalidated group ID to trick the system into applying the wrong security policies. This could allow unauthorized users to run tools or access functions they should not be able to reach, potentially compromising system integrity.
Technical details
OpenClaw before version 2026.4.25 is vulnerable to an authorization bypass (CWE-639) due to insufficient input validation in the tool group policy resolver. The component accepts unvalidated group IDs from callers, which can be manipulated by an attacker with low privileges. By supplying a specific group ID to the policy resolver, an attacker can influence the policy decision for tool invocations, effectively bypassing intended access controls. This vulnerability is reachable over the network if the affected feature is enabled and exposed to untrusted inputs. The issue is resolved in version 2026.4.25.
Affected products
- OpenClaw openclaw <= 2026.4.24
Timeline
- 2026-05-28: advisory: Original advisory GHSA-985f-72mj-8gf7 published
- 2026-06-16: disclosed: NVD and VulnCheck publication of CVE-2026-53863
- 2026-06-18: other: Duplicate advisory GHSA-8wmm-344f-mpjg withdrawn