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OpenclawApplication

CVE-2026-32987

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2026.3.13 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
OpenClaw before 2026.3.13 allows bootstrap setup codes to be replayed during device pairing verification in src/infra/device-bootstrap.ts. Attackers can verify a valid bootstrap code multiple times before approval to escalate pending pairing scopes, including privilege escalation to operator.admin.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

OpenClaw before version 2026.3.13 contains a replay attack vulnerability in the device bootstrap process (src/infra/device-bootstrap.ts). The system fails to invalidate bootstrap codes after initial verification, allowing attackers to replay valid codes multiple times during the pairing approval window. This enables escalation of pending pairing scopes, ultimately allowing privilege escalation to operator.admin level.

MitigationImplement cryptographic replay protection in the bootstrap verification process using one-time-use nonces or timestamp-based validation to ensure each bootstrap code can only be used once. Additionally, invalidate bootstrap codes immediately after successful verification to prevent multiple replays.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
OpenclawApplication
Affected:< 2026.3.13

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check OpenClaw version
    Run 'openclaw --version' or check the package.json/version file to determine the installed version
    Affected if The installed version is before 2026.3.13 (e.g., 2026.3.12, 2026.2.0, etc.)
  2. Verify device pairing feature is enabled
    Inspect the system configuration for device bootstrap/pairing module status in config files or runtime settings
    Affected if Device pairing or bootstrap functionality is enabled and accessible to users
  3. Examine bootstrap code handling
    Review logs or debug output during the device pairing process to see if bootstrap codes are validated only once or can be reused
    Affected if Bootstrap codes remain valid after initial verification and can be replayed within the pairing approval window
  4. Check for replay protection in bootstrap module
    Inspect src/infra/device-bootstrap.ts or equivalent runtime configuration to verify if nonce, timestamp, or one-time-use validation is implemented
    Affected if No cryptographic replay protection (nonces, timestamps) or code invalidation after first use is found in the bootstrap verification logic
  5. Audit pairing scope escalation logs
    Search system logs for events where pending pairing scopes were escalated to operator.admin level during the pairing window
    Affected if Multiple bootstrap code submissions result in elevated privileges without additional verification

You are affected if OpenClaw version is before 2026.3.13 AND device pairing/bootstrap is enabled, with no replay protection preventing reuse of bootstrap codes.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2026.3.13 or later
Fixed in 2026.3.13
Vendor patch github.com →
Interim mitigation

Implement cryptographic replay protection in the bootstrap verification process using one-time-use nonces or timestamp-based validation to ensure each bootstrap code can only be used once. Additionally, invalidate bootstrap codes immediately after successful verification to prevent multiple replays.

Recommended fix High confidence

2026.3.13

  1. 1. Identify the current OpenClaw version in use by checking package.json or the running application
  2. 2. Review the release notes for version 2026.3.13 to understand the security fix for the replay attack vulnerability (CWE-294)
  3. 3. Update the OpenClaw dependency to version 2026.3.13 or later in your package manager (e.g., npm install [email protected] or yarn upgrade [email protected])
  4. 4. Rebuild and redeploy the application with the updated version
  5. 5. Verify the fix is applied by confirming src/infra/device-bootstrap.ts contains the commit 1803d16d5cec970c54b0e1ac46b31b1cbade335c changes which prevent bootstrap code replay during device pairing
  6. 6. Test the device pairing workflow to ensure legitimate bootstrap codes work correctly and cannot be replayed

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Openclaw Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-32987 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data