Executive brief
OpenClaw is a gateway plugin system used for managing network sessions and subagents. A security flaw in how the system handles session deletions allows an attacker with low-level access to gain administrative privileges. This could allow an unauthorized user to perform restricted operations, potentially leading to a full takeover of the session management system or disruption of services.
Technical details
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.25 within the gateway plugin's subagent fallback mechanism. The `deleteSession` function incorrectly defaults to a synthetic `operator.admin` runtime scope when a request-scoped client is missing. A remote attacker with low privileges can trigger session deletion to execute operations with administrative authority. The vulnerability is rooted in incorrect privilege assignment (CWE-266) and incorrect use of privileged APIs (CWE-648). The issue was resolved in version 2026.3.25 by binding deletion tasks to the caller's actual scope instead of minting a new administrative scope.
Affected products
- OpenClaw openclaw < 2026.3.25
Timeline
- 2026-03-26: advisory: Original vendor advisory GHSA-h4jx-hjr3-fhgc published
- 2026-04-09: disclosed: CVE-2026-35645 assigned and NVD entry created
- 2026-04-10: advisory: Duplicate advisory GHSA-m5jp-p3r5-mfqp published
- 2026-04-18: other: Duplicate advisory GHSA-m5jp-p3r5-mfqp withdrawn in favor of GHSA-h4jx-hjr3-fhgc