Executive brief
OpenClaw, a gateway and plugin management tool, contains a flaw in how it validates trusted web addresses for retrying failed operations. An attacker could trick the system into sending sensitive authentication information to a malicious server by using a web address that starts with the name of a trusted site. This could lead to the theft of credentials or other sensitive data used by the gateway.
Technical details
A vulnerability in OpenClaw's trusted retry endpoint validation allows for hostname prefix matching. The root cause is an incomplete comparison (CWE-1023) where a retry endpoint URL provided via lower-trust input can pass validation if its hostname begins with the string of a trusted host (e.g., 'trusted.com.attacker.com' matching 'trusted.com'). A network-based attacker with low privileges can exploit this to redirect authentication material to an attacker-controlled origin. The issue is fixed in version 2026.5.7; users are advised to upgrade or pin retry endpoints to exact trusted origins.
Affected products
- openclaw openclaw < 2026.5.7
Timeline
- 2026-05-28: disclosed: Advisory published to openclaw/openclaw repository
- 2026-07-02: advisory: GitHub Advisory reviewed and published
- 2026.5.7: patched