---
title: "CVE-2026-35639: OpenClaw Gateway: RCE and Privilege Escalation from operator.pairing to operator.admin via device.pair.approve"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-35639/
description: "CVE-2026-35639 (openclaw (npm)): OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the device.pair.approve method that allows an…"
type: vulnerability-record
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2026-04-09
date_modified: 2026-06-23
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
cve: "CVE-2026-35639"
kev: false
cvss: 8.7
epss: 0.00838
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# CVE-2026-35639: OpenClaw Gateway: RCE and Privilege Escalation from operator.pairing to operator.admin via device.pair.approve

**Signal:** Normal patch cycle. No exploitation signal; fix it in your next routine update if you are affected. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.)

## Should you act?

- 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.

## Affected packages

- npm `openclaw` < 2026.3.22 → fixed: 2026.3.22

## Affected products (CVE record)

- OpenClaw OpenClaw: < 2026.3.22

## Severity

- VulnCheck CVSS 4.0: 8.7 `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 CVSS 3.1: 8.8 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`
- GitHub CVSS 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`

## Exploitation

- 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.

## Sources

- [GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-hf68-49fm-59cq)](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-hf68-49fm-59cq)
- [Patch Commit #1](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87)
- [Patch Commit #2](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/fc2d29ea926f47c428c556e92ec981441228d2a4)
- [GitHub Advisory GHSA-hf68-49fm-59cq](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-hf68-49fm-59cq)
- [CVE.org record CVE-2026-35639](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-35639)
- [NVD entry CVE-2026-35639](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35639)
- [VulnCheck Advisory: OpenClaw < 2026.3.22 - Privilege Escalation via device.pair.approve Scope Validation](https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-device-pair-approve-scope-validation)

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Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-35639/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt