CVE-2026-22172: OpenClaw: WebSocket shared-auth connections could self-declare elevated scopes

Should you act?

Critical, preconditions apply

Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 0.6%, percentile 46: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.6% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 46% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes openclaw (npm) <= 2026.3.11, fixed in 2026.3.12. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.12 contain an authorization bypass vulnerability in the WebSocket connect path that allows shared-token or password-authenticated connections to self-declare elevated scopes without server-side binding. Attackers can exploit this logic flaw to present unauthorized scopes such as operator.admin and perform admin-only gateway operations.

From the GitHub advisory

Summary

A logic flaw in the OpenClaw gateway WebSocket connect path allowed certain device-less shared-token or password-authenticated backend connections to keep client-declared scopes without server-side binding. A shared-authenticated client could present elevated scopes such as operator.admin even though those scopes were not tied to a device identity or an explicitly trusted Control UI path.

Impact

This crossed the intended authorization boundary and could let a shared-secret-authenticated backend client perform admin-only gateway operations.

Affected versions

Weakness type: CWE-862, CWE-269.

Product: openclaw (npm) · Assigned by: VulnCheck · Published: 2026-03-20

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Attack requirements: none
• Privileges required: low (any account)
• User interaction: none

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.57% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 46.

Timeline

• 2026-03-13 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-rqpp-rjj8-7wv8 published (critical)
• 2026-03-20 — CVE record published by VulnCheck
• 2026-09-24 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vendor and project advisories, patches

1. GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-rqpp-rjj8-7wv8) github.com

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-rqpp-rjj8-7wv8 github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2026-22172 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2026-22172 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. vulncheck.com vulncheck.com
2. github.com github.com
3. github.com github.com
4. github.com github.com

Critical npm advisories · Today’s Security Digest