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CVE-2026-45006

HIGH

OpenClaw's gateway config mutation guard allowed unsafe model-driven config writes

Published May 5, 2026Updated July 8, 2026Source: osv

Summary

## Summary The agent-facing `gateway` tool protects `config.apply` and `config.patch` with a model-to-operator trust boundary. That guard used a hand-maintained denylist of protected config paths. The config schema outgrew that denylist, leaving sensitive subtrees writable through model-driven gateway config mutations. ## Impact A prompt-injected or otherwise compromised model running with access to the owner-only `gateway` tool could persist unsafe config changes that crossed security boundaries. Examples included config paths affecting command execution, network/proxy/TLS behavior, credential forwarding, telemetry or hook endpoints, memory/indexing surfaces, and operator policy controls. These changes could survive restart once written to config. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` on npm - Affected: versions before `2026.4.23` - Fixed: `2026.4.23` - Latest stable verified fixed: `openclaw@2026.4.23`, tag `v2026.4.23` ## Fix OpenClaw replaced the denylist with a fail-closed allowlist. Agent-driven `gateway config.apply` and `gateway config.patch` now permit only narrow agent-tunable prompt/model settings and mention-gating paths. Other config changes are rejected before the gateway mutation RPC is invoked. ## Fix Commit(s) - `bceda6089aa7b3695cc7696b43c61ae3d01bb0ec` (`fix(gateway): fail closed on runtime config edits`) ## Severity Severity remains `high`. The vulnerable entry point is owner-only, but the model/agent is not a trusted principal under OpenClaw's security model, and the guard is the explicit model-to-operator boundary for persisted config mutation.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

npm
Update openclaw to 2026.4.23 or later
npm install openclaw@2026.4.23

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
openclaw
npm
All versions2026.4.23

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-862
    Missing AuthorizationMITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 8.8 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-45006?
OpenClaw's gateway config mutation guard allowed unsafe model-driven config writes This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of HIGH (CVSS score: 8.8/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-45006?
CVE-2026-45006 affects openclaw. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-45006 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
8.8

High exploitability or significant impact. Prioritize remediation within days.

Also Known As

GHSA-cwj3-vqpp-pmxr

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