OpenClaw before 2026.5.18 contains a scope bypass vulnerability in the Gateway chat.send route that allows scoped clients to execute privileged commands.
Date: 2026-05
Affected: openclaw/openclaw
Attack vector: auth-bypass
Category: vulnerability-disclosure
Severity: High
CVE: CVE-2026-35674
CWE: CWE-863
CVSS: 8.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)

OpenClaw before 2026.5.18 contains a scope bypass vulnerability in the Gateway chat.send route that allows scoped clients to execute privileged commands. Attackers with operator.write scope can deliver commands through inherited external routes to bypass operator.approvals and operator.admin scope requirements, enabling unauthorized plugin, config, MCP, allowlist, and ACP mutations.


Mitigations:

Architectural layers (MAESTRO):