CVE-2026-22172 OpenClaw < 2026.3.12 - Scope Elevation in WebSocket Shared-Auth Connections

What is CVE-2026-22172?

CVE-2026-22172 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw, published on 20 Mar 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.12 contain an authorization bypass vulnerability in the WebSocket connect path that allows shared-token or password-authenticated connections to self-declare elevated scopes without server-side binding. Attackers can exploit this logic flaw to present unauthorized scopes such as operator.admin and perform admin-only gateway operations.

Weakness: CWE-862

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-22172?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including openclaw. It affects 1 product.

Products include Openclaw Openclaw.

How do I fix CVE-2026-22172?

Upgrade openclaw to 2026.3.12 or later.

Upgrade, and check permissions on every request on the server, not only in the interface. More about Missing authorization.

Is CVE-2026-22172 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-22172 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Openclaw Openclaw

• CVE-2026-28363 Security feature bypass in OpenClaw Critical 9.9
• CVE-2026-30741 Code injection in n/a Critical 9.8
• CVE-2026-33579 OpenClaw < 2026.3.28 - Privilege Escalation via Missing Caller Scope Validation in Device Pair Approval Critical 9.4
• CVE-2026-32922 OpenClaw < 2026.3.11 - Privilege Escalation via Unvalidated Scope in device.token.rotate Critical 9.4
• CVE-2026-32978 OpenClaw < 2026.3.11 - Approval Bypass via Unrecognized Script Runners Critical 9.4

All Openclaw Openclaw vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as GHSA-rqpp-rjj8-7wv8, MINI-mfp3-9hq6-2c5h.