OpenClaw: Unbound bootstrap setup codes allow privilege escalation during pairing

CVE-2026-41386 → View on GitHub ↗ View on CVE.org ↗ View on NVD ↗

Description

Summary

Bootstrap setup codes were not bound to the intended device role and scopes, allowing first-use privilege escalation during pairing.

Current Maintainer Triage

  • Status: open
  • Normalized severity: high
  • Assessment: Real first-use bootstrap privilege-escalation bug fixed and shipped in v2026.3.22+, so keep open for publication with current severity.

Affected Packages / Versions

  • Package: openclaw (npm)
  • Latest published npm version: 2026.3.31
  • Vulnerable version range: <=2026.3.13-1
  • Patched versions: >= 2026.3.22
  • First stable tag containing the fix: v2026.3.22

Fix Commit(s)

  • a600c72ed7d0045a27f58bf031d2b36ecb0141c9 — 2026-03-22T23:57:15-07:00

OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
high
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Open repository advisory ↗
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2026-04-03 03:19:33 UTC
Updated
2026-05-06 22:23:25 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2026-04-03 03:19:33 UTC
NVD published
2026-04-28

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
0.04% 12.01%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
9.8 3.1 —
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
8.6 4.0 —
CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:H/SA:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:A)
Attacker has to be on an adjacent/local network segment.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and stable.
Attack requirements (AT:P)
Additional preconditions must be present for exploitation.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No privileges are required.
User interaction (UI:N)
No user interaction is required.
Vulnerable system confidentiality impact (VC:H)
High confidentiality impact on the vulnerable system.
Vulnerable system integrity impact (VI:H)
High integrity impact on the vulnerable system.
Vulnerable system availability impact (VA:N)
No availability impact on the vulnerable system.
Subsequent system confidentiality impact (SC:N)
No confidentiality impact on subsequent systems.
Subsequent system integrity impact (SI:H)
High integrity impact on subsequent systems.
Subsequent system availability impact (SA:N)
No availability impact on subsequent systems.

Identifiers

Type Value
GHSA GHSA-gg9v-mgcp-v6m7 ↗
CVE CVE-2026-41386 ↗

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management
CWE-648 Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs

Credits

  • tdjackey (reporter)

Affected packages (1)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
npm openclaw <= 2026.3.13-1 2026.3.22 —

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence