OpenClaw Privilege Escalation Vulnerability via Trusted-Proxy Authentication

A privilege escalation vulnerability has been identified in OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.31. This vulnerability arises from an incomplete scope-clearing mechanism in trusted-proxy authentication mode, allowing unauthorized elevation of operator.admin privileges. Attackers can exploit this issue by declaring operator scopes on non-Control-UI clients, which enables self-declared scopes to persist on identity-bearing authentication paths, thereby escalating privileges.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability allows for unauthorized privilege escalation to operator.admin rights.

Reproduction

The vulnerability can be reproduced by declaring operator scopes on non-Control-UI clients while using trusted-proxy authentication. This can be done by bypassing the normal pairing process for such clients, which typically requires device identity. Once the scopes are declared, they will persist on identity-bearing authentication paths, allowing the user to gain elevated privileges.

Remediation

Users can upgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.3.31 or later to address this vulnerability.