CVE-2026-62207: Openclaw Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-62207 Overview

CVE-2026-62207 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.6.5. The flaw allows lower-trust callers to reach admin-scoped tools by exploiting insufficient policy checks on configured input paths. Attackers can perform actions that require stronger authorization without holding the required privileges.

The issue is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization. It affects the OpenClaw Node.js package and is exploitable over the network with low attack complexity. The vendor addressed the issue in release 2026.6.5.

Critical Impact
Remote authenticated attackers with low privileges can bypass authorization checks and execute admin-scoped tool operations, resulting in high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

OpenClaw (Node.js package) versions before 2026.6.5
Deployments exposing admin-scoped tools through configured input paths
Applications embedding OpenClaw for tool orchestration workflows

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-17 - CVE-2026-62207 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-07-20 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-62207

Vulnerability Analysis

OpenClaw exposes tools that are gated by authorization policies bound to configured input paths. The vulnerability stems from insufficient enforcement of those policies. Requests arriving from lower-trust callers are not consistently evaluated against admin-scoped requirements before reaching sensitive tool handlers.

An attacker with valid but low-privilege credentials can invoke admin-scoped operations. This breaks the authorization boundary the application relies on to separate standard users from administrators. The impact spans confidentiality, integrity, and availability because admin tools typically modify state and expose sensitive data.

The flaw maps to CWE-862: Missing Authorization. The EPSS probability is 0.301%, reflecting current observed exploitation likelihood rather than technical severity. No public exploit code has been released and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing or incomplete authorization check on configured input paths that dispatch to admin-scoped tools. Policy evaluation is not applied uniformly, so callers who should be filtered out reach privileged handlers.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network. The attacker sends crafted requests to endpoints tied to admin-scoped tools while authenticated at a lower privilege level. Because the policy check fails to enforce the admin scope, the request completes as if it originated from a privileged caller. Refer to the VulnCheck Advisory and the GitHub Security Advisory for additional detail on the affected paths.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-62207

Indicators of Compromise

Requests from low-privilege accounts reaching endpoints associated with admin-scoped OpenClaw tools
Unexpected administrative actions logged without a corresponding admin session or role assumption
Repeated invocations of the same input path with varying parameters from non-admin sessions

Detection Strategies

Inventory OpenClaw deployments and identify versions earlier than 2026.6.5
Correlate authenticated session roles against the tool scope invoked for each request
Alert when non-admin identities successfully complete tool calls flagged as admin-scoped

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose audit logging for OpenClaw tool invocations, including caller identity and resolved scope
Forward application logs to a centralized platform for role-versus-action correlation
Track anomalous spikes in admin tool usage tied to accounts that historically operate at lower privilege

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-62207

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.6.5 or later across all environments
Audit accounts that recently invoked admin-scoped tools and revoke any unexpected changes
Rotate credentials and API tokens for accounts that interacted with vulnerable instances

Patch Information

The vendor released the fix in OpenClaw 2026.6.5. Upgrade instructions and the full advisory are available in the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-cf2p-f286-mphf. Additional context is provided by the VulnCheck Advisory.

Workarounds

Restrict network reachability to OpenClaw admin endpoints using firewall or reverse proxy rules until patched
Enforce role-based access at an upstream gateway to block non-admin identities from admin tool paths
Disable exposure of admin-scoped tools in configuration where they are not actively required

bash

# Upgrade OpenClaw to the fixed release
npm install openclaw@2026.6.5

# Verify the installed version
npm ls openclaw