CVE-2026-35639: openclaw (npm)

Should you act?

Normal patch cycle

No exploitation signal; fix it in your next routine update if you are affected. 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 0.8%, percentile 57: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.8% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 57% of all scored CVEs (moderate). 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) < 2026.3.22, fixed in 2026.3.22. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the device.pair.approve method that allows an operator.pairing approver to approve pending device requests with broader operator scopes than the approver actually holds. Attackers can exploit insufficient scope validation to escalate privileges to operator.admin and achieve remote code execution on the Node infrastructure.

From the GitHub advisory

Summary device.pair.approve allowed an operator.pairing approver to approve a pending device request for broader operator scopes than the approver actually held.

Affected Packages / Versions - Package: openclaw (npm) - Affected: = 2026.3.22 - Latest released tag checked: v2026.3.23-2 (630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87) - Latest published npm version checked: 2026.3.23-2

Fix Commit(s) - fc2d29ea926f47c428c556e92ec981441228d2a4

Release Status The fix shipped in v2026.3.22 and remains present in v2026.3.23 and v2026.3.23-2.

Code-Level Confirmation - src/gateway/server-methods/devices.ts now threads caller scopes into device.pair.approve. - src/infra/device-pairing.ts now rejects requested operator scopes that exceed the approver-held operator scope set.

Weakness type: CWE-648, CWE-269.

Product: openclaw (npm) · Assigned by: VulnCheck · Published: 2026-04-09

Affected and fixed versions

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable	First fixed
npm	`openclaw`	< 2026.3.22	2026.3.22

Vendor	Product	Affected versions (per CVE record)
OpenClaw	OpenClaw	< 2026.3.22

Severity scores

Scored by	CVSS	Score	Vector
VulnCheck	4.0	8.7 High	`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`
VulnCheck	3.1	8.8 High	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`
GitHub	4.0	9.4	`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H`

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): 0.84% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 57.

Timeline

2026-03-26 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-hf68-49fm-59cq published (critical)
2026-04-09 — CVE record published by VulnCheck
2026-06-23 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

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