Description
OpenClaw before 2026.3.28 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the /pair approve command path that fails to forward caller scopes into the core approval check. A caller with pairing privileges but without admin privileges can approve pending device requests asking for broader scopes including admin access by exploiting the missing scope validation in extensions/device-pair/index.ts and src/infra/device-pairing.ts.
Published: 2026-03-31
Score: 8.6 High
EPSS: n/a
KEV: No
Impact: Privilege Escalation
Action: Apply Patch
AI Analysis

Impact

The flaw resides in the device pairing approval API, where the system fails to forward the caller's scopes into the approval logic. A user who has permissive pairing rights but lacks administrative privileges can trigger the /pair approve endpoint to grant requests that request broader scopes, including administrative access. This permits the attacker to elevate privileges within the OpenClaw instance, potentially gaining full administrative control over configuration and data.

Affected Systems

The vulnerability affects the OpenClaw application across all releases prior to version 2026.3.28. Users running any older build of OpenClaw are susceptible. The affected components are extensions/device-pair/index.ts and src/infra/device-pairing.ts.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS base score of 8.6 indicates a high severity. The EPSS score is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, suggesting limited public exploitation yet. Exploitation requires the attacker to have valid pairing permissions; once that is obtained, an authenticated request to /pair approve can be crafted to request admin-level scopes. Attack is likely remote via API access but would need an authenticated session.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on March 31, 2026 at 15:23 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.3.28 or later where the caller scope validation is fixed.
  • If upgrading is not immediately possible, restrict pairing privileges in the configuration to only trusted users or disable the ability to approve new scopes beyond an existing whitelist.
  • Verify that the patch correctly forces scope forwarding by testing the /pair approve endpoint with a non-admin user and requesting admin scopes; confirm that the request is rejected.
  • Monitor for anomalous pairing approval activity in logs and apply additional logging if needed.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on March 31, 2026 at 15:23 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'yes', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 9.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

 cvssV3_1

{'score': 8.1, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N'}

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description OpenClaw before 2026.3.28 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the /pair approve command path that fails to forward caller scopes into the core approval check. A caller with pairing privileges but without admin privileges can approve pending device requests asking for broader scopes including admin access by exploiting the missing scope validation in extensions/device-pair/index.ts and src/infra/device-pairing.ts.
Title OpenClaw < 2026.3.28 - Privilege Escalation via Missing Caller Scope Validation in Device Pair Approval
First Time appeared Openclaw
Openclaw openclaw
Weaknesses CWE-863
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
Vendors & Products Openclaw
Openclaw openclaw
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 9.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

cvssV4_0

{'score': 8.6, 'vector': 'CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N'}

Subscriptions

Openclaw Openclaw
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: VulnCheck

Published:

Updated: 2026-04-01T03:55:38.846Z

Reserved: 2026-03-23T11:00:48.409Z

Link: CVE-2026-33579

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-03-31T16:12:54.323Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-03-31T15:16:14.960

Modified: 2026-03-31T18:16:54.547

Link: CVE-2026-33579

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-03-31T20:38:26Z

Weaknesses