GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc: OpenClaw Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Share
CVSS 9.9
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.9) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves pairing-scoped device tokens could mint `operator.admin` and reach node rce. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.3.11.

GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.9
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.9

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected OpenClaw dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

openclaw fixed: 2026.3.11 
npm install openclaw@2026.3.11
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls openclaw

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls openclaw

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of OpenClaw in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2026.3.11), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls openclaw command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In OpenClaw, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

## Summary In affected versions of `openclaw`, a caller holding only `operator.pairing` could use `device.token.rotate` to mint a new token with broader scopes for an already paired device. If the target device was approved for `operator.admin`, the attacker could obtain an administrative token without already holding administrative scope. ## Impact This is a critical authorization flaw. On deployments with connected node hosts or companion apps that expose `system.run`, the escalated token could then modify node execution approvals and reach real remote code execution on the node. Even without nodes, the flaw still granted unauthorized gateway-admin access. ## Affected Packages and Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.8` - Fixed in: `2026.3.11` ## Technical Details `device.token.rotate` accepted caller-supplied target scopes and validated them against the target device's approved scopes, but it did not constrain the newly minted scopes to the caller's own current scope set. That allowed a pairing-scoped caller to mint a broader token for an already paired administrative device. ## Fix OpenClaw now enforces caller-scope subsetting in `device.token.rotate`, preventing callers from minting device tokens broader than the scopes they already hold. The fix shipped in `openclaw@2026.3.11`. ## Workarounds Upgrade to `2026.3.11` or later.

GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.3.11
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.3.11
2026.3.11

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
OpenClaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.11

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc?
GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Pairing-scoped device tokens could mint `operator.admin` and reach node RCE under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.3.11 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc?
Upgrading to 2026.3.11 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.3.11. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.3.11 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc?
GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.9 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc?
GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls openclaw'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc",
  "modified" : "2026-03-13T15:47:29Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-13T15:47:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Pairing-scoped device tokens could mint `operator.admin` and reach node RCE",
  "details" : "## Summary\nIn affected versions of `openclaw`, a caller holding only `operator.pairing` could use `device.token.rotate` to mint a new token with broader scopes for an already paired device. If the target device was approved for `operator.admin`, the attacker could obtain an administrative token without already holding administrative scope.\n\n## Impact\nThis is a critical authorization flaw. On deployments with connected node hosts or companion apps that expose `system.run`, the escalated token could then modify node execution approvals and reach real remote code execution on the node. Even without nodes, the flaw still granted unauthorized gateway-admin access.\n\n## Affected Packages and Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.3.8`\n- Fixed in: `2026.3.11`\n\n## Technical Details\n`device.token.rotate` accepted caller-supplied target scopes and validated them against the target device's approved scopes, but it did not constrain the newly minted scopes to the caller's own current scope set. That allowed a pairing-scoped caller to mint a broader token for an already paired administrative device.\n\n## Fix\nOpenClaw now enforces caller-scope subsetting in `device.token.rotate`, preventing callers from minting device tokens broader than the scopes they already hold. The fix shipped in `openclaw@2026.3.11`.\n\n## Workarounds\nUpgrade to `2026.3.11` or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.3.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-4jpw-hj22-2xmc"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.3.11"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-13T15:47:29Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}