OpenClaw: Gateway /tools/invoke tool escalation + ACP permission auto-approval
Date: 2026-03
Affected: npm/openclaw
Attack vector: rce
Category: vulnerability-disclosure
Severity: High
CWE: CWE-78
CVSS: 8.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)

## Summary OpenClaw Gateway exposes an authenticated HTTP endpoint (`POST /tools/invoke`) intended for invoking a constrained set of tools. Two issues could combine to significantly increase blast radius in misconfigured or exposed deployments: - The HTTP gateway layer did not deny high-risk session orchestration tools by default, allowing a caller with Gateway auth to invoke tools like `sessions_spawn` / `sessions_send` and pivot into creating or controlling agent sessions. - ACP clients could auto-approve permission requests for risky tools with insufficient user interaction/guardrails, reducing the friction that should normally prevent silent execution or mutation. ## Impact If the Gateway is reachable by an attacker and they obtain a valid Gateway token, they may be able to: - Escalate from single-tool invocation to spawning/controlling sessions and reach command execution capabilities depending on tool policy and runtime environment. - Perform cross-session message injection via `sessions_send`. - In ACP-integrated scenarios, obtain unintended approvals for non-read/search tool permissions. ## CVSS - `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` (8.8) ## Affected versions - `openclaw < 2026.2.14` ## Fixed in - `openclaw >= 2026.2.14` ## Remediation The default behavior is now hardened: - PR #15390: deny high-risk tools over HTTP `/tools/invoke` by default (with `gateway.tools.{allow,deny}` overrides) and harden ACP permission handling. - Commit `bb1c3dfe1`


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Architectural layers (MAESTRO):