Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:NSummary
CVE-2026-26316 is a high-severity Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 25th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
This vulnerability is AI-related — categorised as Enterprise AI Assistants; in the Supply Chain and Deployment risk domain.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-24 (Access Control Decisions) and AC-25 (Reference Monitor) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-26316 is an authorization vulnerability (CWE-863) in OpenClaw, a personal AI assistant, affecting versions prior to 2026.2.13. The issue resides in the optional BlueBubbles iMessage channel plugin, which accepts incoming webhook requests as authenticated solely based on the TCP peer address matching loopback interfaces (127.0.0.1, ::1, or ::ffff:127.0.0.1), even if the configured webhook secret is missing or incorrect. This flaw does not impact the default iMessage integration and requires the BlueBubbles plugin to be explicitly installed and enabled.
The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N), indicating exploitation over the network with low complexity, no privileges or user interaction required. Remote attackers can exploit it by sending crafted webhook requests to a loopback-bound OpenClaw Gateway instance that is exposed indirectly, such as through a public-facing reverse proxy lacking strong upstream authentication. Successful exploitation allows attackers to bypass authentication, enabling high-impact integrity violations, such as injecting unauthorized commands or data via the iMessage channel.
Mitigations are detailed in the OpenClaw GitHub security advisory (GHSA-pchc-86f6-8758) and associated commits. Administrators should upgrade to version 2026.2.13, which includes fixes via commits 743f4b28495cdeb0d5bf76f6ebf4af01f6a02e5a and f836c385ffc746cb954e8ee409f99d079bfdcd2f. Additional workarounds involve configuring a non-empty BlueBubbles webhook secret and avoiding deployments where public reverse proxies forward traffic to loopback-bound Gateways without robust authentication controls.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-8432
Vulnerability Data
OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant. Prior to 2026.2.13, the optional BlueBubbles iMessage channel plugin could accept webhook requests as authenticated based only on the TCP peer address being loopback (`127.0.0.1`, `::1`, `::ffff:127.0.0.1`) even when the configured webhook secret was…
more
missing or incorrect. This does not affect the default iMessage integration unless BlueBubbles is installed and enabled. Version 2026.2.13 contains a patch. Other mitigations include setting a non-empty BlueBubbles webhook password and avoiding deployments where a public-facing reverse proxy forwards to a loopback-bound Gateway without strong upstream authentication.
- CWE(s)
AI Security AnalysisAI
- AI Category
- Enterprise AI Assistants
- Risk Domain
- Supply Chain and Deployment
- OWASP Top 10 for LLMs 2025
- None mapped
- Classification Reason
- Matched keywords: ai
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 5 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
AC-3 directly requires correct enforcement of authorization decisions on every access request, structurally preventing incorrect checks.
AC-24 ensures access-control decisions are made and applied consistently, reducing the chance of an incorrect authorization result.
A reference monitor that is always invoked and tamper-proof forces every authorization decision through a verified, correct path.
Least-privilege assignments shrink the set of authorizations that must be checked correctly, limiting exposure to flawed checks.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Defining, enforcing, and reviewing access authorizations and least privilege directly prevents incorrect authorization checks.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Requiring consistency between access rights and classification plus formal approval steps ensures that the authorization logic correctly distinguishes between entities that should and should not be granted access.
Enforcing policy-driven approval and role-change reviews stops incorrect or stale authorization decisions from remaining in effect after job changes or terminations.
By tying access rights to identity, device, location and classification, the control reduces the likelihood that an authorization decision will be based on an incorrect or bypassed policy.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (2 rules)
- V-248581 OL 8 must require users to provide a password for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
- V-252656 The OL 8 operating system must not be configured to bypass password requirements for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
- V-204430 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that users must re-authenticate for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-251712 The RHEL 8 operating system must not be configured to bypass password requirements for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863