Description
OpenClaw before 2026.3.28 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in chat.send that allows write-scoped gateway callers to trigger admin-only session reset operations. Attackers can rotate target sessions, archive prior transcript state, and force new session IDs without requiring admin scope by exploiting improper authorization checks in the chat.send path.
Published: 2026-04-27
Score: 8.4 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Privilege Escalation via chat.send
Action: Patch Immediately
AI Analysis

Impact

OpenClaw versions before 2026.3.28 contain an improper authorization flaw (CWE‑863) that allows users with a write‑scoped gateway role to trigger admin‑only session reset operations. By abusing the chat.send API, attackers can rotate target sessions, archive transcript state, and force new session identifiers without possessing admin scope, effectively bypassing role boundaries and enabling session impersonation.

Affected Systems

Any deployment of OpenClaw running a pre‑2026.3.28 release is vulnerable. The product is identified as OpenClaw by the vendor, and the specific version range is all releases earlier than 2026.3.28.

Risk and Exploitability

With a CVSS score of 8.4 the vulnerability is classified as high severity. EPSS data is not available, and the flaw is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog. The likely attack vector is via the chat.send endpoint exposed by the application; an attacker who can call this API with a write‑scoped gateway token can perform the escalation without higher privileges. This provides a practical path to compromise authenticated sessions and potentially gain broader access to the system.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on April 28, 2026 at 12:42 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Update OpenClaw to version 2026.3.28 or later to apply the vendor fix
  • Restrict the chat.send reset functionality to users with explicit admin or super‑user roles, either through role‑based access control or by disabling the feature for lower‑privilege scopes
  • If an immediate upgrade is not feasible, temporarily block or monitor write‑scoped gateway calls to chat.send, and isolate sessions that are reset by non‑admin users to mitigate potential abuse

Generated by OpenCVE AI on April 28, 2026 at 12:42 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

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History

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 23:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description OpenClaw before 2026.3.28 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in chat.send that allows write-scoped gateway callers to trigger admin-only session reset operations. Attackers can rotate target sessions, archive prior transcript state, and force new session IDs without requiring admin scope by exploiting improper authorization checks in the chat.send path.
Title OpenClaw < 2026.3.28 - Privilege Escalation via chat.send Reset Command
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': 8.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:L'}

cvssV4_0

{'score': 8.4, 'vector': 'CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:H/SA:L'}

Subscriptions

Openclaw Openclaw
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: VulnCheck

Published:

Updated: 2026-04-28T13:48:39.348Z

Reserved: 2026-04-20T14:10:32.652Z

Link: CVE-2026-41371

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-04-28T13:48:34.806Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-04-28T00:16:26.497

Modified: 2026-04-28T18:44:10.780

Link: CVE-2026-41371

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-04-28T12:45:31Z

Weaknesses