CVE-2026-35663
Openclaw ≤ 2026.3.25
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XSummary
CVE-2026-35663 is a high-severity Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs (CWE-648) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 8.7 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism (T1548); ranked at the 20th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and AC-3 (Access Enforcement) — 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-2026-35663, published on 2026-04-10, is a privilege escalation vulnerability in OpenClaw versions before 2026.3.25. It enables non-admin operators to self-request broader scopes during backend reconnects, bypassing pairing requirements to reconnect as operator.admin and gain unauthorized administrative privileges. The issue is rated with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and maps to CWE-648.
Low-privileged users, specifically non-admin operators, can exploit this vulnerability over the network with low attack complexity and no user interaction required. Successful exploitation allows attackers to elevate privileges to full administrative access, potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system to a high degree.
Advisories recommend upgrading to OpenClaw 2026.3.25 or later, where the vulnerability is addressed via a fix in GitHub commit d3d8e316bd819d3c7e34253aeb7eccb2510f5f48. Further details on the issue and remediation are available in the GitHub security advisory at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-9hjh-fr4f-gxc4 and the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-backend-reconnect-scope-self-claim.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-21472
Vulnerability Data
OpenClaw before 2026.3.25 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing non-admin operators to self-request broader scopes during backend reconnect. Attackers can bypass pairing requirements to reconnect as operator.admin, gaining unauthorized administrative privileges.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V3.5.2V6.4.6
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover incorrect calls to privileged APIs before deployment.
Enforces authorization checks around privileged operations so that an API requiring elevated rights cannot be reached or misused without proper rights.
Least-privilege assignment directly reduces both the availability of privileged APIs and the blast radius when they are invoked incorrectly.
Security engineering principles include correct use of privileged interfaces and safe invocation patterns that stop the weakness from being introduced.
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.
Secure SDLC practices directly enforce correct usage of privileged APIs during development.
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.
Security testing can detect incorrect privileged API calls but does not prevent them at design time.
Restricting privileged utility programs limits the exposure of privileged APIs to misuse.
Privileged access rights directly govern the correct use of privileged APIs and reduce misuse.
Secure development lifecycle includes API usage standards that can prevent incorrect privileged calls.
Application security requirements can specify correct invocation of privileged APIs.
Secure architecture principles guide proper privilege separation and API usage.