CVE-2026-35639Network attack vector

Operator-admin escalation via unchecked approval scopes

Published Apr 9, 2026 · Updated Apr 9, 2026

Privilege escalation in OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 allows remote authenticated users to gain operator.admin access. The device.pair.approve path accepts requested operator scopes without verifying that each scope is held by the operator.pairing approver. An operator.pairing credential and a pending device request are required; successful abuse grants operator.admin privileges and code execution on the Node.js host.

CVSS severity9.4
Critical
EPSS probability0.46%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 allows remote authenticated users to gain operator.admin access. The device.pair.approve path accepts requested operator scopes without verifying that each scope is held by the operator.pairing approver. An operator.pairing credential and a pending device request are required; successful abuse grants operator.admin privileges and code execution on the Node.js host.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-35639
Published
Apr 9, 2026
Updated
Apr 9, 2026
Vendor
OpenClaw Foundation
Product
OpenClaw
Classifications
CWE-269, CWE-648, T1068
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 9, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 9, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <2026.3.22

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

OpenClaw Foundation · OpenClawversion=0 <2026.3.22

Published CVSS scores

8.7VulnCheckCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
9.4GitHubCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
CWE-648Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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