GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC

In affected versions of openclaw, a caller holding only operator.pairing could use device.token.rotate to mint a new token with broader scopes for an already paired device. If the target device was approved for operator.admin, the attacker could obtain an administrative token without already holding administrative scope.

Affected Packages and Versions

• Package: openclaw (npm)
• Affected versions: <= 2026.3.8
• Fixed in: 2026.3.11

Technical Details

device.token.rotate accepted caller-supplied target scopes and validated them against the target device's approved scopes, but it did not constrain the newly minted scopes to the caller's own current scope set. That allowed a pairing-scoped caller to mint a broader token for an already paired administrative device.

Workarounds

Upgrade to 2026.3.11 or later.

This is a critical authorization flaw. On deployments with connected node hosts or companion apps that expose system.run, the escalated token could then modify node execution approvals and reach real remote code execution on the node. Even without nodes, the flaw still granted unauthorized gateway-admin access.

The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.

GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2026.3.11); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

OpenClaw now enforces caller-scope subsetting in device.token.rotate, preventing callers from minting device tokens broader than the scopes they already hold. The fix shipped in [email protected].

1. What is GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC? GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC is a critical-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in openclaw (npm), affecting versions < 2026.3.11. It is fixed in 2026.3.11. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
2. How severe is GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC? GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of openclaw are affected by GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC? openclaw (npm) versions < 2026.3.11 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC? Yes. GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC is fixed in 2026.3.11. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix GHSA-4JPW-HJ22-2XMC? Upgrade openclaw to 2026.3.11 or later.