GHSA-C28G-VH7M-FM7V
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-04-29 21:27 – Updated: 2026-05-19 15:56Impact
OpenClaw deployments before 2026.4.21 could treat a non-owner sender as authorized for owner-enforced slash commands when all of the following were true:
- a channel plugin declared
commands.enforceOwnerForCommands: true; - the channel accepted wildcard inbound senders with
allowFrom: ["*"]; - no explicit
commands.ownerAllowFromwas configured.
In that state, src/auto-reply/command-auth.ts reused the channel inbound wildcard as part of the command-owner decision. A sender who was not the owner could therefore pass the owner-command gate for commands such as /send, /config, or /debug on the affected channel.
The issue is limited to the command-owner authorization axis. It does not by itself grant owner-only tool access, host/sandbox access, or gateway administrator scope.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclawon npm - Affected versions:
<= 2026.4.20 - Patched version:
2026.4.21
The latest public release, 2026.4.21, contains the fix.
Patches
The fix requires a concrete owner identity or internal operator-admin scope when a plugin enforces owner-only commands. Wildcard channel allowFrom no longer implies wildcard command ownership.
Fix commits:
2aa93d44a1b2c7058c371f261fda2b5d4de4a882onmain995febb7b1e811ff6a1df5b18c22de94103f4c9fin the2026.4.21release line
Workarounds
Upgrade to openclaw@2026.4.21 or later. Before upgrading, avoid wildcard/open-DM sender policy on owner-enforced channels, or configure commands.ownerAllowFrom to the intended owner identities.
Credits
OpenClaw thanks @zsxsoft for reporting.
{
"affected": [
{
"database_specific": {
"last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 2026.4.20"
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "npm",
"name": "openclaw"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "2026.4.21"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-44991"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-862"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-04-29T21:27:05Z",
"nvd_published_at": null,
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "## Impact\n\nOpenClaw deployments before `2026.4.21` could treat a non-owner sender as authorized for owner-enforced slash commands when all of the following were true:\n\n- a channel plugin declared `commands.enforceOwnerForCommands: true`;\n- the channel accepted wildcard inbound senders with `allowFrom: [\"*\"]`;\n- no explicit `commands.ownerAllowFrom` was configured.\n\nIn that state, `src/auto-reply/command-auth.ts` reused the channel inbound wildcard as part of the command-owner decision. A sender who was not the owner could therefore pass the owner-command gate for commands such as `/send`, `/config`, or `/debug` on the affected channel.\n\nThe issue is limited to the command-owner authorization axis. It does not by itself grant owner-only tool access, host/sandbox access, or gateway administrator scope.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` on npm\n- Affected versions: `\u003c= 2026.4.20`\n- Patched version: `2026.4.21`\n\nThe latest public release, `2026.4.21`, contains the fix.\n\n## Patches\n\nThe fix requires a concrete owner identity or internal operator-admin scope when a plugin enforces owner-only commands. Wildcard channel `allowFrom` no longer implies wildcard command ownership.\n\nFix commits:\n\n- `2aa93d44a1b2c7058c371f261fda2b5d4de4a882` on `main`\n- `995febb7b1e811ff6a1df5b18c22de94103f4c9f` in the `2026.4.21` release line\n\n## Workarounds\n\nUpgrade to `openclaw@2026.4.21` or later. Before upgrading, avoid wildcard/open-DM sender policy on owner-enforced channels, or configure `commands.ownerAllowFrom` to the intended owner identities.\n\n## Credits\n\nOpenClaw thanks @zsxsoft for reporting.",
"id": "GHSA-c28g-vh7m-fm7v",
"modified": "2026-05-19T15:56:06Z",
"published": "2026-04-29T21:27:05Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-c28g-vh7m-fm7v"
},
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44991"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/2aa93d44a1b2c7058c371f261fda2b5d4de4a882"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/995febb7b1e811ff6a1df5b18c22de94103f4c9f"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-authorization-bypass-in-owner-enforced-commands-via-wildcard-channel-senders"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
"type": "CVSS_V4"
}
],
"summary": "OpenClaw: Owner-enforced commands could accept wildcard channel senders as command owners"
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.