OpenClaw before 2026.5.18 accepts WebSocket client-declared operator scopes before binding to server-approved pairing or trusted-proxy authorization baseline.
Date: 2026-06
Affected: openclaw/openclaw
Attack vector: auth-bypass
Category: vulnerability-disclosure
Severity: High
CVE: CVE-2026-53821
CWE: CWE-862
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 accepts WebSocket client-declared operator scopes before binding to server-approved pairing or trusted-proxy authorization baseline. Unpaired or restricted trusted-proxy Control UI clients can obtain cached operator.admin authority on live WebSocket connections to execute admin-gated Gateway RPCs.


Mitigations:

Architectural layers (MAESTRO):