OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.4.25 contain a policy bypass in its embedded runner policy. The vulnerability arises when provider aliases are used; the system incorrectly compares the alias against the alias rather than the canonical provider identity. This confusion allows an attacker to craft requests that grant access to bundled tools outside the intended provider policy restrictions. Consequently, an adversary can execute commands or access resources that are normally protected by the policy, leading to unauthorized operation within the application.

The affected product is OpenClaw, the OpenClaw application built on Node.js. All releases before version 2026.4.25 are vulnerable. Users running these older versions—especially those that have the embedded runner policy enabled—are at risk.

The CVSS score of 4.8 classifies this vulnerability as a medium severity risk. No EPSS score is available, suggesting limited publicly known exploitation data. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. While the description does not specify machine access, the nature of the flaw implies that an attacker can remotely exploit it by sending crafted requests that use provider aliases to bypass policy checks. Because this can be performed over the network, the attack vector is probably remote exploitation with moderate effort.