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OpenclawApplication

CVE-2026-41386

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2026.3.22 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 2026.3.22 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability where bootstrap setup codes are not bound to intended device roles and scopes during pairing. Attackers can exploit this during first-use device pairing to escalate privileges beyond their intended role and scope.

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 · moderate confidence

OpenClaw before version 2026.3.22 has a privilege escalation vulnerability in its device pairing mechanism. The bootstrap setup codes used during first-use device pairing are not properly bound to the intended device roles and scopes, allowing an attacker to obtain elevated privileges beyond what the device should have been assigned.

MitigationUpgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.3.22 or later which properly binds bootstrap setup codes to intended device roles and scopes during pairing.

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:< 2026.3.22

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. Determine installed OpenClaw version
    Run 'openclaw --version' or check the application binary/package metadata for the version number
    Affected if The version is lower than 2026.3.22 (e.g., 2026.3.21, 2026.3.0, or any version < 2026.3.22)
  2. Verify device pairing is configured
    Inspect the OpenClaw configuration file (typically in /etc/openclaw/ or ~/.config/openclaw/) for device_pairing enabled settings or pairing-related configuration entries
    Affected if Device pairing is enabled and the version is vulnerable (< 2026.3.22)
  3. Examine bootstrap setup code bindings
    Review the pairing configuration or database where bootstrap setup codes are stored; check if setup codes include explicit role and scope bindings for the paired device
    Affected if Bootstrap setup codes exist but lack proper role/scope binding, and the version is vulnerable

You are affected if OpenClaw version is below 2026.3.22 and device pairing with bootstrap setup codes is or was ever enabled in your environment.

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 2026.3.22 or later
Fixed in 2026.3.22
Vendor patch github.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.3.22 or later which properly binds bootstrap setup codes to intended device roles and scopes during pairing.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

2026.3.22

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of OpenClaw by checking the application or using: openclaw --version
  2. 2. If running a version earlier than 2026.3.22, upgrade to version 2026.3.22 or later by following the project's upgrade instructions (e.g., package manager update, binary replacement, or recompilation from source)
  3. 3. After upgrading, verify the version has been updated successfully: openclaw --version
  4. 4. If direct upgrade is not immediately feasible, review the vendor patch at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/a600c72ed7d0045a27f58bf031d2b36ecb0141c9 and apply the relevant code changes to bind bootstrap setup codes to intended device roles and scopes during pairing
  5. 5. After applying the fix, re-initiate any pending device pairings to ensure the privilege scope binding is enforced

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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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $9,504.

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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-2026-41386 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data