CVE-2026-100577: OpenClaw SSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2026-100577 Overview

CVE-2026-100577 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in OpenClaw versions before 2026.8.1. The flaw stems from the OpenClaw command-line interface failing to validate video asset URLs returned by upstream providers. A malicious or compromised provider can return private or loopback URLs, causing the CLI to issue requests to internal services reachable from the OpenClaw host. This classifies as [CWE-918] Server-Side Request Forgery.

Critical Impact
Attackers controlling or compromising a provider can pivot into internal networks through the OpenClaw host, reaching loopback services, metadata endpoints, and private infrastructure not exposed externally.

Affected Products

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.8.1
OpenClaw CLI with video asset processing enabled
Deployments retrieving media assets from third-party providers

Discovery Timeline

2026-09-26 - CVE-2026-100577 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-09-30 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-100577

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the OpenClaw CLI logic that processes video asset URLs returned from provider APIs. OpenClaw accepts the provider's response and fetches the asset without verifying the destination host. Because the HTTP client follows arbitrary URLs, an attacker-supplied address can direct requests back to internal infrastructure. This behavior turns the OpenClaw host into a proxy for reaching services behind the network perimeter.

SSRF conditions of this type are commonly abused to query cloud metadata endpoints, probe internal admin interfaces, and enumerate reachable hosts on private subnets. The impact depends on which services the OpenClaw host can reach and how those services authenticate inbound connections. Services relying on network-location trust are at the greatest risk.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing destination validation on URLs returned by provider APIs. OpenClaw treats provider-supplied URLs as trusted input and does not enforce an allowlist of public hosts, reject private IP ranges (RFC 1918), or block loopback and link-local addresses before issuing outbound requests.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires that an attacker control or compromise a provider integrated with OpenClaw, or coerce the application to query a hostile provider. The attacker returns a crafted response containing a video asset URL pointing to an internal destination such as http://127.0.0.1, http://169.254.169.254, or an RFC 1918 address. User interaction is required to trigger the processing flow, consistent with the CVSS 4.0 vector's UI:P component. Successful exploitation yields limited confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the OpenClaw host and reachable internal services.

See the GitHub Security Advisory and VulnCheck Security Advisory for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-100577

Indicators of Compromise

Outbound HTTP requests from OpenClaw hosts to 127.0.0.1, 169.254.169.254, or RFC 1918 addresses in process or proxy logs.
Provider API responses containing video asset URLs with private, loopback, or link-local hostnames.
Unexpected access attempts to internal services originating from OpenClaw service accounts.

Detection Strategies

Inspect OpenClaw CLI logs for asset-fetch operations targeting non-public destinations.
Correlate provider API response payloads with subsequent outbound connection destinations to detect redirection to internal ranges.
Alert on DNS lookups from the OpenClaw host that resolve to internal zones or cloud metadata hostnames.

Monitoring Recommendations

Deploy egress filtering telemetry and alert on OpenClaw-initiated connections to private IP space.
Monitor cloud metadata endpoint access (169.254.169.254) from any OpenClaw workload.
Capture full URL fields from provider responses to support retrospective investigation and threat hunting.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-100577

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.8.1 or later on all hosts running the CLI.
Audit configured providers and remove or isolate any that are untrusted or unmaintained.
Restrict egress from OpenClaw hosts to only the public domains required for legitimate asset retrieval.

Patch Information

The maintainers resolved the issue in OpenClaw 2026.8.1. The fix validates video asset URLs returned by providers and blocks requests to private, loopback, and link-local destinations. Refer to the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-fvxr-9g24-x3hf for release details.

Workarounds

Place OpenClaw behind an egress proxy that enforces a destination allowlist for provider domains.
Block outbound traffic from the OpenClaw host to RFC 1918, loopback, and cloud metadata address ranges at the network layer.
Run OpenClaw in a network segment with no routable path to sensitive internal services or metadata endpoints.

bash

# Example iptables rules restricting OpenClaw host egress to private ranges
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner openclaw -d 127.0.0.0/8 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner openclaw -d 10.0.0.0/8 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner openclaw -d 172.16.0.0/12 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner openclaw -d 192.168.0.0/16 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner openclaw -d 169.254.0.0/16 -j REJECT