CVE-2026-62210: Openclaw DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2026-62210 Overview

CVE-2026-62210 is a denial of service vulnerability in OpenClaw versions before 2026.6.1. The flaw allows authenticated attackers to submit remote media URLs that trigger slow-read behavior against gateway workers. These requests hold worker processes open, exhausting server resources and reducing service availability for legitimate users. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling. OpenClaw runs on Node.js and processes media inputs through gateway workers, making resource-constrained deployments particularly susceptible to this attack pattern.

Critical Impact
Attackers with access to configured input paths can exhaust gateway worker resources, degrading availability for all OpenClaw users on the affected instance.

Affected Products

OpenClaw versions before 2026.6.1
OpenClaw deployments running on Node.js
OpenClaw instances exposing configured media input paths to authenticated users

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-17 - CVE-2026-62210 published to NVD
2026-07-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-62210

Vulnerability Analysis

OpenClaw accepts remote media URLs as input through its gateway workers. When a worker fetches a remote URL, it reads the response stream to process the media payload. The gateway does not enforce sufficient limits on read duration, connection timeouts, or concurrent remote fetches per user. An attacker can point the gateway at a slow-responding server that trickles bytes over an extended period. The worker remains occupied on the slow read, unable to service other requests. Repeated submissions consume the worker pool and degrade availability across the deployment.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing resource governance on outbound HTTP fetches. OpenClaw does not cap request duration, byte-rate thresholds, or per-tenant concurrency for remote media ingestion. This aligns with CWE-770, where allocated resources are not throttled against adversarial inputs.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access and low-privilege authentication to a configured input path. The attacker submits URLs that resolve to attacker-controlled servers designed to respond slowly, keeping the TCP connection open while sending minimal data. Each malicious URL ties up one gateway worker. Parallel submissions multiply the impact until the worker pool is saturated. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own submission.

The vulnerability manifests in OpenClaw's remote media fetch handler. See the OpenClaw GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-4xwj-mcc7-x7x5 and the VulnCheck Advisory for additional technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-62210

Indicators of Compromise

Elevated counts of long-lived outbound HTTP connections from OpenClaw gateway workers to external hosts
Gateway worker pool saturation coinciding with legitimate request queuing or timeouts
Repeated remote media URL submissions from a single authenticated identity within short windows
Outbound connections to previously unseen or low-reputation domains referenced in OpenClaw job payloads

Detection Strategies

Instrument OpenClaw gateway workers with per-request duration metrics and alert on outliers exceeding expected media fetch times
Correlate submitter identity with volume of remote URL jobs to surface abusive patterns
Monitor network egress logs for slow-transfer sessions originating from OpenClaw hosts

Monitoring Recommendations

Track worker pool utilization, queue depth, and rejected job counts as service-health signals
Enable OpenClaw application logging for remote URL ingestion events, including destination host and byte-transfer rate
Forward gateway metrics and egress telemetry to a centralized analytics platform for anomaly detection

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-62210

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.6.1 or later on all deployments that process remote media URLs
Restrict which authenticated roles can submit remote URL inputs until patching is complete
Apply egress allowlists so gateway workers can only reach approved external hosts
Reduce concurrent remote-fetch limits per user or tenant to contain abuse

Patch Information

OpenClaw released a fix in version 2026.6.1. Refer to the OpenClaw GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-4xwj-mcc7-x7x5 for release details and upgrade instructions.

Workarounds

Place OpenClaw gateways behind a forward proxy that enforces connection timeouts and minimum byte-rate thresholds
Configure OS-level or reverse-proxy limits on outbound socket duration for OpenClaw worker processes
Disable remote URL ingestion features where local file uploads meet business requirements

bash

# Example: enforce outbound timeouts via reverse proxy (illustrative)
# nginx snippet for OpenClaw egress
proxy_connect_timeout 5s;
proxy_read_timeout 15s;
proxy_send_timeout 15s;